Lily's Adventures in Watership Down
by Gotham317
Summary: A lost farm rabbit named Lily is captured by Sandleford Owsla after the loss of her home, but she joins a group of rabbits who flee their warren in search of a new home. Despite her lack of living in the outside world, Lily becomes courageous and resourceful, whilst a relationship between her and a certain impetuous rabbit blooms. Bigwig x OC.
1. Lily comes to Sandleford

_**I had wanted to make a Watership Down story ever since I watched the new Netflix miniseries on the last day of the new year 2018, and after watching the 1999-2001 TV series and reading two of Drewmoviefan's Watership Down stories. I know I have to work on Hotel Transylvania's New Places & New Beginnings, but I'd rather do one story at a time. I've been so eager to do this story for a while, I hope you enjoy it. This story series is a combination of the 1978 movie, the TV series, and the 2018 miniseries. Character appearances mostly based on the TV series, but also the 1978 movie and the 2018 miniseries.**_

_**I don't own the 1978 Watership Down movie, the 1999-2001 Television Series, nor the 2018 Netflix miniseries. OCs belong to me. Bigwig x OC.**_

_**Enjoy, and no negative comments, please! Thank you.**_

* * *

_Long ago, in the beginning, the great Frith made the world. He made all the stars by scattering his droppings, and the world lived among the stars. Frith made all the animals and birds, and at first made them all the same. Now, among the animals was El-ahrairah, the Prince of Rabbits. He had many friends and they all ate grass together. _

_El-ahrairah had so many wives and so many kits that even Frith couldn't count them. After a time, the rabbits wandered everywhere, multiplied, eating as they went. They ate all the grass and clover in the entire world. The hungry and distraught animals looked to Frith for help._

_So Frith said to El-ahrairah, "Prince Rabbit, if you cannot control your people, I shall find ways to control them. So mark what I say!"_

_But El-ahrairah would not listen and scoffed, "My people are the strongest in the world, for they breed faster and eat more than any of the other people. And this shows how much they love Lord Frith. For of all the animals in the world, they are the most responsive to your warmth and brightness. You must realize, my lord, how important they are and not hinder them in their beautiful lives."_

_This angered Frith, and he could have killed the prince rabbit there and then, but he needed him for his hijinks and tricks, so he determined to get the better of El-ahrairah. He determined there would be a meeting of all the animals of the world, and upon each, he would bestow a gift. He __gave a present to every animal and bird, making each one different from the rest. _

_When the fox came, he gave great cunning. Upon the hawk, sharp talons. Upon the cat, silent feet. Upon the dog, great smell. Upon the weasel, great speed. Upon the owl, great vision. Upon the wolf, great teeth. To each of them, Frith gave a fierce desire to hunt and slay the children of El-ahrairah. These animals became the elil, the thousand enemies of rabbits. One by one, all of El-ahrairah's wives and kits slaughtered and killed by the thousand enemies._

_It was a few days later, when El-ahrairah heard of all this from a visiting black swift and upon discovering his entire family dead, except for several rabbits whom escaped the thousand enemies. __Now El-ahrairah knew that Frith was too clever for him, and he was frightened. He had never seen the Black Rabbit of Death, nor did he wish to meet her. Convinced that Frith is coming after him and desperate to escape, El-ahrairah began digging a hole in the earth but his body was in half way. until Frith appeared._

_"My friend," said Frith, "have you seen El-ahrairah? For I wish to give him a gift."_

_"Err... uh... no, I have not seen him."_

_"Come out, and I will bless you instead."_

_"No, I cannot. I am busy. The fox and weasel are coming."_

_Obviously, Frith knew it was El-ahrairah and he said, "I know it is you, Prince Rabbit. Come out, the fox and weasel are not here."_

_The Prince Rabbit's head popped up from the dirt. As he turned to face Frith, he felt his fear become anger over the death of his people. "You have condemned my people to lives of fear, Lord!"_

_"I have warned you, your people cannot rule the world, for I will not have it so," Frith said. "Do you not wish to see what blessing I have for your people, Prince Rabbit?"_

_"If you want to bless me, then to my bottom give your blessings!" El-ahrairah scoffed, turning away and stuck his rear end up at the sky._

_"Very well, be it so," Frith complied. "Grow a tail to confuse those chasing you and legs to outrun them. Grow ears to hear any of your thousand enemies from miles away."_

_Then El-ahrairah's tail grew shining white and it flashed like a star. His ears grew longer to hear sounds no one can hear. His back legs grew long and powerful. And he tore across the hill faster than any creature in the world. __He was pursued by the thousand enemies as he lead the surviving rabbits away, jumping over a fence and across the meadow to safety._

_"All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies," said Frith. "And whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first, they must catch you... digger... runner... listener... Prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks, and your people will never be destroyed."_

* * *

The primroses were over. Toward the edge of the wood, where the ground became open and sloped down to an old fence and a bramble ditch beyond a field where the upper part of the field was full of rabbit burrows. The grass was altogether and everywhere a cluster of flowers of different kind. A few yards away at the bottom of the slope ran a brook surrounded by a few kingcups, watercress and blue brooklime. A small walkway bridge crossed over the three-feet wide brook to the other side of the field where there stood a thorn hedge connected within a wire fence and a signpost having recently put up by two men, one hammered the sign in place and the other smoked a cigarette.

"Along the edge of that wood, there..." said the man as he finished hammering and put his tools away. "Enjoyed many a game of play from it, too."

"You can't hold back progress," replied the second man, flicking his cigarette aside and crushed it with his boot. "Shame, though."

The first man glanced at his watch. "It's gone 8:00, and I told Elizabeth we'd go into Newbury this evening."

The two men left the field by passing through a gate, and boarded an waiting pickup truck.

"Old sun sets so late in summer, it's morning before..." the second man closed the truck door, started up the vehicle and the truck drove off down a dirt road, leaving a trail of dust behind it.

Across the field beyond the dirt road appeared a rabbit, a doe, bounding over the grass and weeds at great speed, desperately trying to catch up to the departing vehicle. "No, wait! Stop!" she cried. It was unusual for a rabbit to chase down a pickup truck, but not this one. She was too late as the truck was further off a good distance. The rabbit sighed dismally, "Oh, no. How do I find my way home now? Which way should I go?"

The distraught rabbit, called Lily, began to sob like a lost child out and alone in the big world with no one to care for her. She had never been on her own in the wild, growing up in a family of humans on a farm had made her unreliable in the wild, despite the love and care she received from her caretakers, but she never thought an unexpected turn of events could force her out on her own. She had been on her own for three days, trying to find her way back, but she never had any sense of directions. Despite eating some grass or drinking from ponds, it never suited her taste buds since she ate vegetables and fruit all her life, and her figure had become very skinny, almost revealing bones. Her paw reached up to wipe away the tear, sniffles came afterword and a struggled gasp in the midst of her sobbing. Lily was quite young and fairly pretty, slender enough to be identified as female, smudges of mud smeared all over her fur making it impossible to tell what color her fur is, but her tear-stricken eyes displayed an alluring sapphire shade that used to be full of joy and happiness, but drastically changed by the pain and trauma of her past, through her days of misery and loneliness. She dismissed her plan of secretly boarding the vehicle to deliver her back to home. Giving up seemed like the better option when a plan doesn't go right, its best to have been left alone until a predator will come for her.

Her nostrils twitched when she caught a whiff of a strange scent. "What's that smell?" Lily wondered, wiping off the last of her tears. She sniffed the air and crossed the dirt road, trailing after the source of the scent. The doe hopped up the tall hill to where she came to the wired fence and noticed the sign post left earlier by the humans, and surprisingly she can read the human words.

_This ideally situated Estate comprising six acres of excellent Building Land is to be Developed with high class modern residences by Such & Martin, Newsbury_**_._**

Lily had no idea what it meant, yet she figured it meant something important since she had seen these kind of signs before back on the farm, but she noticed a giant billboard stood out among the smaller signpost to make it appear more important. It read _SANDLEFORD_ and it had the picture of a human neighborhood. As she pondered what this could mean, Lily's nose twitched harder this time. "It smells like rabbits... no, wild rabbits..." The scent was close, making her feel nervous. The doe cautiously glanced at her surroundings but, to her relief, there was nothing and nobody behind her. Only a large and beautiful green field, except full of deep holes that lead underground.

With a relaxed sigh, Lily trudged downhill to the field where she decided to explore her surroundings. She found the bridge and the brook underneath and, feeling quite thirsty and eager to get rid of the mud from her body, the doe felt obliged to take a drink and later a bath. She sat calmly by the brook and leaned her head down to lap her tongue in the fresh cool water that relieved her thirst. Lily felt much better, not having anything to eat or drink since... those traumatizing events three days ago... she shook her head, trying to keep her head focused on today. She didn't want to be reminded of what she had to go through. Hopefully, she'll find a way to return to the farm... and to Henry, the little boy whom she knew most of her entire life.

After finishing her drink, Lily immediately leapt into the brook, as if she were a human child jumping into a pool to go for a swim. The brook was only three feet that she didn't have to paddle or swim, thankfully. The water felt cool on her fur as she swept her head back and rubbed the mud off her ears with her paws. It would be quite unusual to see a rabbit bathing in a brook, but nobody was around to witness such strange rabbit behavior.

The dried up mud washed off her fur and drifted away in the brook's current, exposing Lily's true fur color; a golden orangish ginger rabbit with a white underbelly and white shades covered her blue eyes. Relieved, she climbed out of the water and shook its contents of her fur, making her fur look all shaggy. Then she began grooming herself and straightening her fur out until it was nice and neat as it used to be, despite her very thin figure. "Ahh, I feel much better now," she sighed, contently.

Suddenly, her ears pricked up at the sound of movement coming from over the steep hill. Lily jumped, her eyes staring up at the hill and sniffed the air. That strange rabbit scent was back, and it was closer than ever. Lily crept toward the bridge and kept herself silently hidden underneath within its shadow, hoping whoever or whatever rabbit it is didn't see her. Her heart beat faster as the steps came closer and closer.

As she watched, a figure crept up the steep hill. To Lily's surprise, there stood a wild rabbit. A large buck, that is. He had pale brown fur, sharp green eyes, looked strong and broad chested, with a large dark brown mane of fur on his head and around his neck and shoulders. Lily felt he resembled a lion with that mane and judging by the hard expression on his face, he must have the heart of a lion and ready to fight at any moment now. The lion headed rabbit sniffed the air, moving toward the bridge where he began sniffing through the partial cracks of the bridge. Lily held her breath, she didn't dare make a sound nor did she move. The last thing she would have on her mind will be Henry stroking her fur and hand feeding her carrot pieces when she was as an infant after he discovered her lost in the woods.

"GOTCHA!" the lion headed rabbit growled.

"Aaaagh!" Lily squealed in horror, then she ran out from under the bridge and up the steep hill and away from the large rabbit.

"I found the intruder!" the lion headed rabbit called out, and several other large rabbits, all bucks, joined the pursuit.

Lily tore across the field as she tried to escape the angry lion maned rabbit and the other bucks. She had never run so fast in her life, except for the time she lost her home. As she looked back, terror seized upon her as the bucks picked up speed. She didn't know why these rabbits were chasing her, but they didn't look friendly so she assumed they must be bad rabbits. The billboard was just up the hill and beyond it, the gateway to freedom. Just when it seemed that Lily was going to make it, she felt strong paws and heavy body weight pounce on her. The lion maned rabbit had caught her. He tackled her and they rolled across the ground, ending with Lily on her back and the lion headed rabbit pinning her down to restrain her.

"I've got him, Captain Holly!" the lion headed rabbit shouted.

"Good work, Bigwig." Captain Holly, the leader of the large rabbits was a big pale grey rabbit with a dark triangle shape on his nose. "We're coming!" he shouted.

"Thought you could outrun us, eh lad?" Bigwig, the lion headed rabbit, sneered triumphantly at the poor rabbit beneath his paws.

But upon inspecting her face more closely and catching her scent, Bigwig drew in a sharp gasp. The intruder was a doe, and the most lovely doe he had ever seen. He stared at her, completely thunderstruck, and silently into those gentle blue eyes that ever reflected Frith's stars, lost for words as a calming smile spread over the doe's serene features. Her smile sent a warmth through Bigwig's heart that he had never experienced before in his life. However, the feel of her skin and bones startled him and a tiny hint of pity for this poor doe's degrading health, but what stunned him the most was the faint scent of Man on her.

As for Lily, when she got a good look at her attacker's face, her blue eyes widened when she stared at the lion maned buck's face up close. She hasn't felt such peace since the tragic events of losing her former home. The doe felt a smile spread over her features as her heart squeezed when his piercing green eyes gazed down on her. For a wild rabbit, he was quite attractive. And he felt so muscular when she felt his chest pressed against her own. She tried to avoid eye contact with him, but his eyes seemed to have a hypnotizing affect on her.

"Bigwig! Are you going to let us arrest the intruder or not?" one of the bucks grunted impatiently, a dull brown buck whom was named Toadflax.

The voice of his fellow officer brought Bigwig back to reality as he stepped back and allowed the rest of the bunch to surround the confused and scared doe. "Mind yourself, lads. It's a doe, and she smells like Man," he warned them.

The other rabbits took a whiff of her scent to make sure he was telling the truth, and their reactions were just the same as Bigwig upon realizing the intruder's gender and the scent of human on her form.

"Never mind who she is, Bigwig!" Holly reprimanded, eyeing the doe suspiciously. "She is under arrest!"

"Why? What did I do wrong?" Lily questioned, baffled. "And who are you?"

"I am Holly, Captain of the Owsla," the pale grey buck responded sharply, "and you are under arrest for intruding on our warren! You will come with us, hlessi." He approached the timid doe with a hard expression in his eyes that are as red as the holly berries. "And if you try to run, you will be killed. Understand?"

Lily stepped back, trembling. But she silently nodded to show him that she understood his warning. Although, she didn't quite understand the words _Owsla_ or _hlessi_, nor had she ever heard such words before.

"What shall we do with her?" another buck, a dull yellow colored rabbit, named Scabious asked.

"We shall bring her to the Chief Rabbit," Holly said, decidedly. "The Threarah will decide what to do with her. Then we will interrogate her."

Nodding, the rabbits obeyed orders and surrounded Lily, enforcing she never try to escape from them. With no other choice, Lily reluctantly followed the large rabbits. Bigwig trudged silently alongside her, his eyes never left her as he kept a close watch on her. Lily avoided his sharp eyes as she tried to look where she was going. She secretly hoped these wild rabbits will not kill her, even if she tried to find some ways of escape.

Several other rabbits emerged from their burrows after Holly had announced that it was safe to come out and the intruder had been caught. Their noses sniffed the air when they caught the scent of the female Man-smelling hlessi. Some of the bucks watched her intently due to her pretty features, and some of the does grew jealous of the unwanted attention Lily disliked. The kittens were shielded by their mothers if the intruder had tried to escape and attacked them. Lily knew she would never harm an innocent young kit, but these rabbits didn't know that. As far as they were concerned, she was an outsider who invaded their warren.

Then Lily noticed the bucks leading her to a big tunnel connected to an old rowan tree that stood out high among the fields, probably the home of their Chief Rabbit. It was dark inside, and the only light she could make out was the outside setting sun's rays shining their way through the burrow. It wasn't long until they arrived at the center of the burrow. As Lily peered over Holly's back, she saw an elderly, silver-colored, burly rabbit stretching his paws and yawning. He must have be awoken by their presence, and he didn't appear quite pleased with it.

"What is it, Captain Holly? How many times must I tell you, I am not to be disturbed!" Chief Rabbit Threarah scolded. "It is late in the evening and-"

"Threarah, sir, we have caught an intruder in our warren," Holly interrupted. "She's a hlessi; a doe, who smells like Man."

"What is a hlessi?" Lily asked the lion headed buck, quietly and curiously. "And what is an Owsla?"

"Hold your tongue!" Bigwig harshly whispered in her ear, but then his eyes widened when he realized her question. "Wait, surely you must know a hlessi is a homeless rabbit who dwells no burrow or hole."

"No, I don't." Lily shook her head.

An incredulous Bigwig gawked at her, and to Lily, he stared at her like she had grown sharp teeth and bigger feet. However, he answered her second question regarding the Owsla. "Well, the Owsla contains the strongest and fastest rabbits in the warren. We fight to protest our kind."

"Quiet!" Toadflax cuffed her on the back of the head, earning him a slight cry from Lily.

"Keep your paws to yourself, hraka!" Bigwig gave him an appalled frown for his actions, then he cuffed Toadflax on the forehead.

"Silence back there!" scolded Holly.

"A doe?" Threarah caught a glimpse of the newcomer and sniffed the air of her scent. He decided to consult with his Council. "Foxglove, come in here!" he demanded.

Nearby, another big burly old rabbit came lolloping inside the burrow to take his place beside the Chief Rabbit. His fur was a dull purple shade (hence the name of the flower) and white mixture. His eyes, a pale blue with a cloudy shade, made Lily realize that he is blind. Despite his blurry vision, Foxglove can still perfectly sense where he is going and who he is communicating with. He happened to be the only living member of the Threarah's Council.

"The Owsla have arrested a hlessi trespassing in our warren," Threarah explained. "She is a doe who smells like Man."

Foxglove's eyes widened, sniffing the air as he focused his blurry vision at where Lily is standing. "Her Man scent is not entirely strong, and we all know the rabbit lore that any rabbit who smells _strongly_ of Man must be killed," his words mortified Lily that any thought of escaping drained, until he continued, "however, I assume it's safe to say she's not a threat. Besides, it is May. The mating season is approaching, and we have too many bucks in this warren."

During a period of silence, Threarah briefly thought over the doe's fate and suggested, "Have the doe live with the outskirters. You're all dismissed." Then he yawned and decided to go back to sleep, and Foxglove lolloped out of the burrow back to return to his burrow.

"Yes, sir." Holly nodded, then he and the Owsla escorted Lily out of the Chief Rabbit's burrow to the outside field, where the sun was close to disappearing from the horizon and a few stars began to twinkle early. "Now, who are you and how did you find our warren?" The Owsla Captain began the interrogation of the hlessi doe, sitting up straight with authority as Bigwig and the other bucks stood by, like a police officer interrogating a prisoner over the facts of a case.

"My name is Lily, sir," answered the ginger doe. "I didn't mean to intrude on your home, I was just trying to find my way home."

"Where is your warren?"

"I don't live in a warren, sir. I lived in Ridgeway Farm, that is until..."

"A farm?!" Holly repeated, stupefied.

"The hlessi must be a hutch rabbit, raised by man!" Toadflax pointed out. "That explains why she doesn't know the rabbit language, so she must be incredibly stupid!" Apparently, he had overheard Lily's conversation with Bigwig, and this got the every other buck in the Owsla mocking her, some of them glowering in her direction.

"**SHUT UP, YOU MISREABLE CLITTERING CHICKWEED**!" Bigwig snarled, infuriated by Toadflax's rudeness and his gruff voice silenced their laughter as he aimed a black scowl to every officer present. "If she is a hutch rabbit, then why is she skin and bones? Look at her!" He gestured his head toward her form.

Holly briefly scorned at his Owsla for their insults, then he studied her appearance for a moment, and his breath caught in his throat when he noticed her condition. "Oh, Frith!" he gasped. "Has Man tortured you to this state?"

"Of course not," Lily answered, shaking her head. "They do feed me, but there was a fire, and... I wandered for three days..." her voice trailed off, and her downcast eyes held a deep sorrow to them.

The Captain of Owsla suspected more to this story, but a flicker of solace crossed his face as he decided to let it go for now. "We'll find you a burrow for you to sleep in and someone to watch over you until you're better," Holly decided.

For the first time in three agonizing days, Lily smiled. "Thank you," she said.

"Sir, I'd like to share my burrow with the hlessi until she's back on her feet!" Bigwig volunteered as he stepped forward boldly.

"Oooooh!" the other bucks crooned, some of them made kissing sounds to tease him and whispered Foxglove's mentioning of the approaching mating season.

"Not like that!" Bigwig growled, his furry cheeks turned a small shade of red, and so thankful Lily didn't understand it either. "What I mean is, I'll keep guard over her, just in case she doesn't try to run off."

Holly thought this over for a second, and then he made a decision. "All right." He looked over at Lily as he introduced the lion headed buck. "This is Bigwig, you will be placed in his custody until you are strong enough. He'll be able to answer any questions you have or if there is any help you need."

"Thank you, sir." Lily nodded, truthfully she felt quite relieved to share a burrow with Bigwig, and she wouldn't have anything to do with bullies like Toadflax.

"You are dismissed." Holly ended the interrogation, and he left with the rest of the Owsla.

No sooner had the bucks left, Lily followed Bigwig as he lead her to his burrow that was just a bit far off from the Chief Rabbit's burrow. The burrow itself was slightly large for the size of an Owsla officer, but there was enough room for Lily to settle down in the comfortable nest of moss and leaves.

Bigwig, on the other hand, had to remain on guard as he stood at the entrance of his burrow from the inside, keeping an eye out for elil or to ensure the doe will never try to sneak out in the middle of the night, but in the back of his mind, he doubted she would try it in spite of her condition. Tomorrow, he will try to find her some silflay so the doe can regain her strength.


	2. Leaving Sandleford

The sound of birds chirping to the morning sun awoken Lily to her first day in Sandleford warren. The doe opened her mouth to yawn, arched her back up and stretched her paws out. The sleep had never felt so good, but she felt hungry and needed food. However, she was caught trying to leave the burrow and Bigwig forced her back inside. Lily was not allowed to leave the burrow cause Bigwig ordered her to stay until she was recovered as she was still weak. Nevertheless, he brought in plenty of silflay for her to eat. Once she had eaten all of the silflay, Lily felt her strength and energy returning. She felt stronger than ever. Except Bigwig firmly confined her to his burrow to make sure she kept resting. Despite the delicious berries and plants he brought in for her to eat, she was still thin and needed more food. Lily hated every second of it, but she gradually began to understand his intentions. Bored, she grew tired and decided to rest.

Once it was close to afternoon, Lily yawned and stretched the sleep out of her system. When she opened her eyes, she found herself face to face with an adorable young kitten, a buck, with golden eyes and brown fur.

"Oh!" Lily jumped back, startled.

"Hello, Lily!" greeted the little buck with a cheerful and kind smile.

"Who are you, and how did you know my name?"

"My name is Pipkin, and I've been helping Bigwig bring in some silflay for you to eat." The little buck used his paw to point out a small pile of pansies and grass lying close to the nest. "He told me to look after you until he comes back from morning inspection."

"Thank you." Lily sniffed at the silflay and then started to eat it. "Don't you want some, too?" she asked, hoping she didn't eat too much and assumed the young buck might get hungry.

"It's alright, I already had my silflay," Pipkin assured her. "If your still hungry, there's more where this came from outside." He settled down right beside her and looked at her curiously. "Did you really grow up on a farm?"

"Yes, I did." Lily nodded, her mouth full of pansies before she swallowed them. "It was my home, and I loved it there... especially Henry."

"Who is Henry?"

"Henry is a little human boy who takes care of me, and he is my best friend. I vaguely remember, but I did have parents once, and a few siblings. I don't know if I had a family or not. I don't even know what happened to them, all I remember is Henry found me when I was an infant. He took me in and raised me. I had plenty of freedom around the farm, as long as I stayed with Henry so no other wild animals could catch me. There were no cats or dogs. Just pigs, chickens, ducks, cows and horses. I often played with them, but as I grew older I enjoyed talking with them. Most of these days, Henry always took me on his family outings and I have seen many places in the world that no rabbit has ever seen." Lily frowned a sad smile as she mentioned old memories. It was the first time she told any rabbit about her human caretaker. None of the other rabbits would understand her if she tried talking to them, but talking to Pipkin about it brought a sense of comfort and consolation to her. Every word she spoke, he kept his attention completely focused on her as he listened carefully.

"Wow!" Pipkin awed, his bushy tail wagging excitedly as he grew fascinated by the doe's adventures. "You're really lucky. It must be wonderful to see the world."

"Yes, it is." Lily smiled.

"I see you two have become friends."

A gruff male voice interrupted their conversation, catching the two startled rabbits' attention as they turned to the figure coming into the burrow. To their relief, it was Bigwig.

"Hello, Bigwig!" Pipkin's smile lit up. "Lily just woke up, and she was telling me all about the farm she lived in. It sounds lovely!"

Although Bigwig smiled, the tone of his voice didn't sound entirely convincing. "I'm sure it is." He ushered the young buck to leave the burrow. "Why don't you go outside and play with your friends. I'll take care of the doe."

"I'll see you later, Lily!" Pipkin hopped out of the burrow to go outside.

Lily chuckled, wholeheartedly. "He's such a cute little one. And he's very friendly."

"I know..." Bigwig then got serious when his smile faded as it changed to a hard frown, "but I don't want you giving him any ideas about living on farms and living with humans!"

"Excuse me?" Lily raised an offended eyebrow.

"Humans are dangerous!" he warned her. "If you see a man, you run as fast as you can."

"That's not true! Humans are not dangerous! You can't possibly know that!" she objected. "If you had seen the ones I lived with, you'd understand-"

"ENOUGH!" Bigwig shouted as he suddenly leaned in very close to her face and his paws pushed against her, making Lily shrink back against the wall and his voice as sharp as a blade that cut right through her emotionally, "This warren doesn't like outsiders bringing danger to our home, especially if they come from Man! So as long as you're in my custody, you will obey my orders and stay away from the humans, or you will suffer the consequences! GOT IT?"

Not wanting to get on this Owsla officer's bad side, Lily nodded timidly. "All right," she squeaked.

Satisfied that he had gotten the message to her, Bigwig drew back and granted her permission to leave the burrow to go silflay, "Now I've got sentry duty for the day. You may leave."

Lily left in a hurry to get out of there, and away from him. She grew frightened by this Bigwig, especially his temper and irked by his distrust against the humans. But she could not shake off that tingle she felt when his face had been very close to hers.

Up ahead, Lily spotted other rabbits out in the field going about their usual daily routines; silflaying, playing with their kittens, or engaged in polite conversation. As Lily approached further out into the field, her presence started to gain their attention. The staring and the whispers started as she made her way across the field, trying to find a spot to silflay or to introduce herself to other rabbits up for a conversation. Sadly, the rabbits didn't want anything to do with her. They whispered horrid things, calling the humans as the elil of the thousand enemies, or rabbits raised by humans cannot be trusted or should have been killed.

Dejected, Lily decided to keep to herself and search for her own private spot to silflay. She passed two bucks, one of whom mentioned something about does and the other buck shushed him as if he grew tired of the usual talk of does. As she was hopping over to a thistle plant, she accidently bumped heads with another rabbit. "Ow! was all Lily said, as she massaged her head to smooth out the pain, and looked down into the face of the rabbit she bumped into.

It was a rabbit, a runt by his size. She noticed he had heterochromia iridium, his left eye being hazel brown while his right eye is hazel green, but Lily thought it looked fascinating. Those eyes widened as he stared fixatedly at her. The runt rabbit had light hazel colored fur, and dark brown tipped ears that reached part of his head between the eyes and ended to his nose. He looked quite scared and timid when he tried to interact with her, raising or turning his head suggested not so much caution as a kind of ceaseless, nervous tension.

"What's going on?" one of the bucks whispered after he and another buck witnessed the event.

"It's only that mad runt, Fiver," sneered the second buck, "jumping at bluebottles again."

Lily glared at the two bucks, at first ready to confront them over their words, but she felt the runt's presence, whom she now knew called Fiver, was still there. "Are you okay?" she asked, kindly.

"Y-y-yes." Fiver spoke in a nervous voice.

"I don't mean to frighten you, I was just looking for some silflay, as you call it."

"Fiver, there you are!" called another buck's voice.

Lily glanced over her shoulder, just as a taller version of Fiver appeared over the hill and approached them. The buck himself had the same hazel brown colored fur like Fiver, dark brown tipped ears that reached part of his head between the eyes and at the nose. His eyes were a hazel green, and he looked quite handsome. He appeared as though he knew how to take care of himself and to take care of those younger than him. The buck studied her for a moment as he looked over at Fiver's trembling.

"What did you do to my brother?" the buck questioned, his eyes narrowed as he instantly stood between her and Fiver.

"No, wait!" Lily protested, but luckily Fiver spoke up for her.

"It's not her fault, Hazel," he explained. "I ran into her. It's just... ever since the dream I had... I feel like a cloud of death hangs over us. It sounds so oppressive, like thunder."

"A cloud of death?" Lily grew alarmed at his words.

The buck, now she knew was called Hazel, sniffed at her fur and then stared at her, eyes alert. "You're the outskirter doe the Owsla caught yesterday!"

"Yes, I am." Lily sighed, like it was obvious that every rabbit had to point it out and remind her of who she is. "But I don't like to be treated badly like how some of the other rabbits treat your brother. One of them just insulted Fiver!"

Hazel became silent as he looked away in shame. "I'm sorry," he said. "My brother predicts things, sometimes he can see them in his dreams, and most of the time, he's correct about these things. Unfortunately, nobody takes him seriously."

"Really? What kind of things?" This piqued Lily's interest that a rabbit can actually inherit such an ability.

"Like your coming here," Hazel replied. "He said something about a hutch rabbit is coming to our warren. I believe it is you."

"That's remarkable!" Lily was deeply impressed. "You have a magnificent gift, Fiver."

"Uhhh..." Fiver had no idea of what to say. No one in this warren spoke good of his visions for as long as he can remember.

"Err, perhaps if you care to join us for silflay?" Hazel offered politely, in order to make up for his brief rational behavior.

"Oh, I'd like that! Thank you very much!" Lily leapt for joy, her tail wagging. At last, she found more rabbits who treated her with kindness like dear little Pipkin.

"Good, because I spotted some thistle down by the stream and I haven't eaten anything decent in days." Hazel lead the two rabbits across the field, passing several rabbits who greeted Hazel and he greeted them back, making Lily feel a bit envious how Hazel is respected by the other rabbits.

"So, what did you dream this morning?" Lily asked. "You mentioned a cloud of death hangs over us."

"I dreamt something else is coming to Sandleford," Fiver said. "I think it might mean we're in danger. Captain Holly was in it and there was a huge-"

"Captain Holly?" Hazel chuckled lightly, but not to offend his brother. "Fiver, I think Captain Holly can take care of himself." They passed Holly himself as he stood on sentry duty with one of the officers. "They usually do in the Owsla."

"Perhaps it meant Captain Holly could be in trouble," Lily suggested, glancing a concerned face at the Owsla Captain.

"No, the other rabbits were in trouble as well," Fiver continued. "But no one likes hearing about someone else's dreams, but I dreamt of something foul and fierce coming to Sandleford."

Just then, Hazel came to a halt when he spotted a pretty doe, with light peach colored fur and blue eyes, having a girl chat with two other does.

"Who is she?" Lily asked.

"Dewdrop..." Hazel sighed as he gazed dreamily at her, but Dewdrop turned away embarrassed as her friends giggled.

Lily realized that Hazel must really like this Dewdrop. "Why don't you tell her you like her?" she offered.

"I could, but-" Hazel began, but his brother called out to him.

"Hazel!" Fiver gave him a stern look as he waited impatiently for his brother and the doe beside him.

"Sorry!" Hazel apologized as he came toward his younger brother, with Lily trailing behind him.

The three rabbits went across the stream by jumping from one rock to another before they reached the other side. They arrived at a small flowery area surrounded by bushes of blooming flowers and plants. As it turns out, one of them grew sow thistles and cowslips at their feet.

"Here we are!" Hazel said, pleased. "Sow thistles and cowslips! Finally, something good to eat."

"Are they really good?" Lily sniffed the cowslips and thistles warily.

"Definitely good!" Fiver concluded, as he leaned down to take a bite of a cowslip.

Suddenly a large paw stomped on the cowslip, preventing Fiver from eating it. He looked up, and there stood a glowering Toadflax and Scabious.

"Oye, you lot!" Scabious spoke, his steely glare forced Fiver to draw back. "You know the rules!

"Fiver found it!" Hazel defended, frowning.

"And we'll eat it. Sow thistles and cowslips are reserved for members of the Owsla only," Toadflax reprimanded. "Don't you know that?"

"And you should know it as well, doe!" Scabious bullied, glaring at an upset Lily. "Move along," he ordered them to leave.

The trio of rabbits left in disappointment as the two Owsla bucks laughed cruelly. Toadflax ate the cowslip while Scabious ate the thistle.

"Some Owsla you've got!" Lily huffed, wondering if Bigwig and Captain Holly could also be bullies just like them since they are Owsla after all. No sooner had the three rabbits left the area, they shook their heads in disgust.

"'You know the rules,' to tell you the truth I'm getting sick and tired of the rules," Hazel growled. "Sometimes I feel like clearing out of the warren altogether without the Owsla stealing from us."

"So do I," Lily agreed. "I wonder if there's a place for me in this warren. No one wants to have anything to do with me, except for Pipkin."

"Oh, Pipkin is very kind to all of us." Hazel grinned.

At last, they found a nice private spot away from staring eyes to eat silflay, displaying a grand view of the countryside as the sun touched the top of the hills and the sky had a mixture of blue and pink, creating a beautiful atmosphere.

"The view is so breathtaking," Lily sighed in admiration.

"Yes, sometimes my brother and I come here to it." Hazel began to eat the grass, and Lily decided to join him.

Fiver stared out at the field and the sunset, his body froze until he trembled violently. First, he discovered the white board that the humans put there yesterday, old boot prints belonging to the humans and an old burnt white cigarette left behind. He began breathing in and out silently, either of he was hyperventilating or close to having a nervous breakdown, in Lily's mind that is.

"Fiver, what's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"Hazel... oh, Hazel. This is where it comes from... the thing in my dream..." Fiver breathed. "I know now that a terrible thing is coming. Look, the fields are covered with blood!"

"Blood?!" Hazel and Lily exchanged confused yet worried expressions.

As Fiver gazed intently at the field, it did indeed started to pour a wave of blood covering the warren's hills completely. The sounds of a machine and despaired cries for help began ringing in Fiver's ears. The cloud of death came closer and closer, until all screams had been silenced by strange hissing and the machine crumbling up the earth, destroying all forms of life instantly.

"It's only the light of sunset," Hazel tried to assure his little brother.

"Is this one of his predictions?" Lily questioned, noticing the whites in Fiver's eyes as his face was filled with horror, and now she wasn't so sure if his gift to predict the future was good at all. "It must be dreadful."

Thankfully, Fiver managed to snap out of it and he turned to the others. "Lily... Brother... I know everyone thinks I'm strange, even you sometimes Hazel, but I believe we are all in danger! We need to warn everyone!"

"But we're outskirters, Fiver. No one will listen to us," Hazel reminded him. "They'll think you're out of your mind."

"Well, we must make them listen!" Fiver sounded fully determined, committed to it. "Something very bad is going to happen."

"How do you propose we do that?" Hazel asked.

"We could try seeing the Chief Rabbit. You can tell him about it," Lily suggested. "Although I don't expect he'd like the idea at all."

"It's worth a shot." Hazel agreed to her idea, but he also knew the Chief Rabbit wouldn't believe them if they tried to warn him.

* * *

The trio of rabbits arrived back at the warren, where the rabbits were still silflaying, playing or talking amongst each other. Neither of them said a word of Fiver's vision as they had to be careful of the Owsla close by. Approaching the Chief Rabbit's burrow, Lily recognized the two bucks guarding the Chief Rabbit as Bigwig and Captain Holly. Bigwig stood on sentry duty outside the entrance, chewing on some grass. Holly was silflaying from a small cluster of grass.

It didn't take long for Bigwig to notice their presence and he recognized the leader of the trio. "Hazel? It is Hazel, isn't it?"

"It is." Hazel confirmed.

"What are you doing here?"

"We want to see the Chief Rabbit, Bigwig."

"WE? You mean they want to see him, too?" Bigwig cocked his head to one side, catching a glimpse of Fiver and Lily.

"Yes, I must!" Fiver added.

"I just came along for support," Lily said.

"What's it all about?" Bigwig glanced suspiciously, or rather worriedly, at the doe. "Does it have something to with asking the Chief Rabbit to mate with her?" His envious green eyes bore down on Hazel with a black scowl that would send any rabbit running.

Hazel wasn't intimidated by the scowl at all, nor did he flinch. "It has nothing to do with her," he assured.

"Bigwig! What do they want?" Holly demanded, a piece of silflay sticking out of his mouth.

"They want to see the Chief Rabbit."

"What for?"

"I have to..." Fiver tried to explain.

"Send them away!" Holly ordered, sternly.

"I'll take care of it, Holly." Bigwig turned toward the three outskirters, gruffly speaking, "Go away. He's busy."

"Look Bigwig, when have I ever asked to see the Chief Rabbit before?" Hazel reasoned, calmly. "Please, we only need a few moments with Threarah and we wouldn't ask if it weren't important."

Bigwig looked at them for a moment, then he glanced back at the burrow. He closed his eyes and sighed, having reached his decision. "Wait here." He turned and entered the burrow to speak with the Chief Rabbit. "Excuse me, sir..." Only what happened next sounded muffled, which only the rabbit trio could barely make out as they waited for a while. At last, Bigwig's head popped back out like a jack in the box. "Alright, go on."

Relieved to have been granted an audience with their leader, Hazel and Fiver and Lily started their way into the burrow.

"But if I get my head bitten off, I'll come looking for you!" Bigwig warned, although he only meant it to Hazel and Fiver, he glanced over at Lily and realized she wrongly assumed he was threatening her as well. He would've tried to explain it to her, but she had already went inside the burrow.

The Chief Rabbit, Threarah, seemed to be in usual spot the last time Lily saw him, munching on some lettuce the Owsla had raided from a farm a mile off earlier this morning.

"Ah, Walnut, is it?" Threarah greeted, glancing over his shoulder when he saw the outskirters.

"It's Hazel, sir." Hazel corrected him.

"Oh, Hazel, of course. I knew your mother well. And your friends?"

"My brother, Fiver. And Lily, she's a friend."

"Now then, do tell me how I can help you?" Threarah continued eating, without turning around.

"Well, he says there's a bad danger coming to our warren," Hazel warned him, calmly.

"A bad danger?" Threarah grunted. "How very upsetting. So Hazel, you're here to speak of your brother sensing things."

"Uh, yes. Sometimes images in his head, and..." Hazel sighed, before he recalled, "I don't know how to say it, but he was right before. He knew the flood was coming last Autumn, and he knew Lily was coming to Sandleford. Fiver visioned it in his dream and we had to add layers to our walls and entrances to block the flood coming into our warren."

"That's impressive," Lily complimented.

"This danger is so bad that you have to get everyone to leave tonight, please Threarah," Fiver pleaded.

"My goodness, everyone tonight?" Threarah chuckled. "The entire warren, and you want me to tell them that we all have to go during the mating season?"

"He's had these feelings before, and he's been right again and again," Hazel begged.

"And you're their leader!" Fiver exclaimed, starting to get impatient.

Threarah ceased his munching for a moment, he probably took offense to the young runt's words. "Well, I shall give that a serious consideration." He slowly turned his back to them, saying dismissively, "Perhaps we'll discuss it later, in the summer."

"We can't wait!" Fiver protested. "There is no time. I can feel the danger, like a wire around my neck! Threarah, you must act NOW!" His final words echoed throughout the burrow. He behaved with such conviction that he upset the Chief Rabbit and alarmed Bigwig outside, not to mention a few other bucks overheard him.

For a moment, Lily wondered if those words about a wire around his neck could be another prediction.

"**BIGWIG!**" Threarah shouted for him, before glaring at the three rabbits. "Walnut, I think your brother needs to rest for a while. Why don't you take him outside for some fresh air."

"No, but-" Fiver objected.

"Shh!" Hazel shushed, calming his brother down. "Yes, Threarah." Then he corrected, "And it's Hazel, sir."

As the trio of rabbits left the burrow, Bigwig passed them on their way out, scowling in their direction. The second they left the burrow, Lily could overhear Bigwig getting his head chewed off by a very angry Threarah.

"What was that all about?"

"Well, sir..."

"I told you I wanted to be left alone, you fool! Your duty as an officer is to protect this burrow and, instead, you let a bunch of outskirters..."

"No, sir..."

"Those three lunatics..."

Lily scowled in fury. Their warning had been ignored and dismissed as lunacy. She wished they had a single proof to Fiver's dreams of oncoming peril. Even though Fiver did predict the flood last Autumn, the Chief Rabbit still believed him to be a lunatic. "What a nerve he has! He doesn't deserve to inherit the title of Chief Rabbit!" she growled, looking back at the burrow. "But I do hope Bigwig will be all right," she whispered.

"Than that's our answer now! We have to go!" Fiver said, decidedly.

"But, Fiver-" Hazel protested.

"You know what? I'm with Fiver on this one." Lily agreed. "If he wants to leave the warren, I want to leave! I refuse to have a lazy, uncaring Chief Rabbit and bullies for Owsla!"

Hazel couldn't believe what they were saying. He opened his mouth to object, but he could see there was no point in reasoning with either of them. "Are you both really sure?"

"I'm telling you now, as your brother, as your friend," Fiver heeded, "this warren will soon be laid waste. We can leave tonight, or be destroyed with it."

Hazel closed his eyes and sighed, thinking over his brother's word and the doe's decision. She was right on one thing, the Owsla are bullies and the Chief Rabbit insulted them. He remembered his own word of clearing out of the warren altogether, and tonight might be his only chance. "Right, we need to spread the word as soon as possible, but be careful, both of you. If the Owsla get wind of this, there will be trouble."

And with that, the trio of outskirts ran their separate ways to spread the word to many rabbits they knew well. Lily wanted to do this alone, even though she knew none of the rabbits would trust her, she determined to take that chance. The first rabbit she wanted to speak was Pipkin.

"Pipkin!" she called him over in a whisper.

"Hello, Lily!" Pipkin came bouncing over to her, glad to see her out and about. "Have you had any more silflay?"

"Now's not the time, Pipkin!" Lily hushed him, much to the young buck's surprise. "Listen, there's a danger coming to the warren!"

"Danger? What kind of danger?" Pipkin asked, surprised.

"I don't know, but all I know is Fiver predicted it. He mentioned the field covered with blood and it doesn't look good..." she stopped upon noticing the horror in the young buck's eyes. "Me, Hazel and Fiver are leaving the warren tonight. We'd be glad if you could join us. If your parents can be convinced to come..."

"I don't have a mother or father," Pipkin sighed, wistfully. "A weasel killed them both."

Lily's heart wretched, now wishing that she had chosen her words carefully. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Pipkin."

However, Pipkin's face lit up instantly. "But I'd like to come along! I want to see the world, just like you did!"

"Good." Lily sighed in relief. "Meet us under the bridge at sun down. Do not tell the Owsla."

"Its Frith-down, but I will be there!" Pipkin saluted cutely and he bounded off to spread the word.

Lily was glad to get Pipkin on their side, though she didn't understand his Lapine language. As she trudged across the field, she could overhear Hazel talking to a buck name Bluebell and a doe named Blackberry. Bluebell's name said it all since his fur is a pale bluish color and blue eyes. Blackberry is a dark brown doe with a white underbelly, light cherry red eyes, and a black pelt on her head and ears that stretched over her back to the tip of her tail. The two rabbits listened carefully to Hazel's warning.

"Good heavens! I mean, good gracious. I mean, that is to say..." Blackberry stammered slightly, as the blue buck sighs. "Hazel, if your brother has taken a firm stock in such a portent-"

"I think what Blackberry is trying to say is - we're in!" Bluebell finishes, eagerly agreeing to join him, and the doe nodded her head beside him.

"Good, meet us at Frith-down, under the bridge," Hazel instructed, before he left to warn others, just as Holly and Toadflax came marching over the hill checking up on the other rabbits.

_I guess that's three rabbits joining us, but who else will come? _Lily thought. She noticed Fiver talking to a pair of bucks. The first one is tall with an lean slender body, a yellowish blonde buck with a white underbelly and golden eyes, he goes by the name of Dandelion. The second one is a shorter buck with a dark grey color and a white underbelly, he had dijon eyes and his name is Hawkbit. After a moment, she saw the two bucks nodding their heads in approval before wondering what all that was about. _Now that makes five rabbits, including myself, Fiver and Hazel. Who else? _In the distance, Lily just happened to overhear an interaction between Hazel and Dewdrop.

"But I don't understand, Hazel. Sandleford, it is our home," said Dewdrop.

"Look there's a danger coming. My brother sensed it, and he's often right about these things," replied Hazel.

"But what if it's more dangerous out there than here?" asked Dewdrop.

"Excuse me?" a violet colored doe with lovely rose pink eyes approached Lily, much to her surprise. "Blackberry told me you were leaving the warren tonight. If it's true, I'd like to come along."

"Of course you can come, uhh…" Lily had no idea of whom the rabbit's name was.

"My name is Violet," replied the doe.

"Pleased to meet you, Violet. My name is Lily. Now, meet us under the bridge at sun down, or Frith-down, as you call it. But be careful of the Owsla."

The second Violet had gone, Lily turned to overhear the last of Hazel's interaction with Dewdrop.

"We're meeting at Fu-Inle by the cattle grid bridge. Come with us, come with me," Hazel begged, almost desperately.

Dewdrop looked unsure whether to believe him or not, but she responded, "Let me think about it, okay?" And then she left.

In the back of her mind, Lily had this strange feeling that Dewdrop will not come at all and Hazel just made the mistake of telling someone who would betray their plans.

* * *

It was nighttime in Sandleford warren, and all of the rabbits had turned in for the burrows to sleep. But not all of them. The Owsla may be on patrol, but some particular group of rabbits snuck past them to reach the cattle grid bridge over the stream. Hazel, Fiver and Lily (who had to avoid Bigwig all afternoon after sneaking out of another burrow to escape his wrath) remained hidden in the shadows, waiting eagerly and impatiently for others to join their leaving. A twig snapped, catching their attention.

"Dewdrop?" Hazel called out softly. "Is that you, Dewdrop?"

It was not Dewdrop at all. In fact, it was Blackberry who was accompanied by five other rabbits.

"It's me, Blackberry!" the doe said. "And I've got Pipkin, Violet, Bluebell, Hawkbit and Dandelion too."

"Get down here, before you're seen!" Hazel told them.

The six rabbits joined Hazel, Fiver and Lily to hide underneath the bridge. Although Pipkin wanted to introduce them, after having told the arrivals about how friendly and interesting the farm doe truly is, Lily nodded her head in acknowledging them and quick to learn their names when Blackberry addressed them.

"Wait, is this everyone?" Hawkbit questioned, looking around. "And where are the does? I presumed there'd be more does."

"Ahem!" Lily, Blackberry and Violet cleared their throats in union, glaring at Hawkbit. Apparently, they are the only does present.

"This can't be everyone. It can't be!" Hazel peeked out from underneath the shade looking worried, still looking for Dewdrop. "Maybe we should go back, and try to convince the others."

"She's not coming," Fiver said, and Lily noticed a look in his eyes that told her that something was wrong.

"We ought to be going soon," Dandelion added, glancing over his shoulder with anxiety. "There's a walled rumor going on around, some nonsense about a plot against the Threarah."

An old can dropped into the brook out of nowhere, startling the group of rabbits as they curiously watched it float along the current.

"There's been more and more of those strange things recently," Fiver said. "They come from humans."

"Fascinating!" Blackberry awed.

"I've seen Henry eat soup out of those cans before," Lily said.

"There aren't many of you left, are there?" a male voice caught them off guard, frightening the rabbits as they looked up at the steep hill.

To Lily's surprise, there came who appeared to be a younger version of Threarah, but different facial features. He was a hefty brisk-looking buck, well known by sight to everyone in the warren, for his fur was entirely silver that glistened in the moonlight as he approached the group. There was a faint white underbelly beneath him, his eyes a dark shade of red, and his height made him look just as tall and strong as Bigwig.

"Silver? What are you doing here?" Hazel gasped. "Are you off duty?"

"Off duty, and likely to remain off," the rabbit called Silver responded, "I've left the Owsla right after I had a falling out with my uncle about your visit with him."

"Uncle? Owsla? I don't understand, who are you?" Lily gawked at him, stammering.

"You must be the farm doe I've been hearing about. My name is Silver, I am the Threarah's nephew, or _was_ his nephew. I was a part of the Owsla but I quit it. Some of those bastards in the Owlsa have always been giving me a rough time, teasing me about my unusual fur and saying I only got into the Owsla through connections with my uncle," he said. "Fiver, I've been thinking about what you said. I want to come with you."

"Well, I suppose we could use a big strong buck like you around," Violet suggested, eying Silver with a flirtatious smile.

Silver blushed, and Hawkbit rolled his eyes in a jealous manner.

"Alright, let's go," Hazel announced, and the group was about to be on their way until...

"NOT SO FAST!" Everyone looked up and there was an infuriated Captain Holly on the bridge above them.

"It's the Owsla!" Hazel exclaimed.

The rabbits tried to make a run for it, but Toadflax blocked their path. Scabious sealed off another path to prevent their escape. Holly leapt in front of Silver and Hazel, both whom stood out in front of their fellow rabbits attempting to protect them.

"You're all under arrest!" Holly proclaimed, looking quite angry and very serious.

"Under arrest? What for?" Dandelion questioned.

"Spreading dissension and inciting to mutiny! Silver, you too, for failing to report for duty this evening!"

"You more than anyone need to listen, Captain Holly," Fiver calmly attempted to reason with him. "Something is coming to this place. Something foul and fierce."

"Just let us go," Hazel said. "Even if you are bigger, there are more of us. We'd fancy a good fight."

"You outskirters couldn't put up a good fight because you're not strong enough!" Toadflax mocked. "Not even that idiot, Silver, could do it!"

Lily was shocked, but she could see that Silver was no stranger to Toadflax's bullying. No wonder he wanted to join their leaving the warren.

"I've heard enough! You'll all come with me!" Holly declared.

If things can't get any worse, then Bigwig appeared out of nowhere. He was very cross. Some of the rabbits panicked, for they knew Bigwig was the strongest and most temperamental rabbit in the Owsla, and they feared they would stand no chance against him. The lion maned buck had vowed to find Hazel and Fiver to punish them for getting reprimanded by the Threarah, but upon his discovery of Lily's absence when he couldn't find her, panic overtook him when he feared the worst and he realized she must have been involved with those two outskirter brothers.

"The Threarah nearly tore my ears off tonight, after I'd let you in!" Bigwig growled, staring daggers at Hazel, Fiver, and Lily.

"Sorry." Lily tried to apologize for getting him in trouble, but she was harshly rejected instead.

"Quiet, doe! You were supposed to be confined in my burrow!" he snarled. "And the Threarah even told me I'm lucky that I'm not kicked out of the Owsla! Lucky to still have my privileges! Well..." Bigwig paused, and as he noticed Lily's terrified eyes and little Pipkin trembling behind her, it could have torn out his heart to arrest them like this. This was not the answer. He no longer wanted to be a part of these bullies or their despicable troop. "Well, I'm sick of being in the Owsla!" He instantly turned on Holly, scorning him.

"Thlayli?!" Holly became surprised and frightened at his own officer turning against him, even surprising the other officers.

"I'm sick of being in this warren! I'm sick of obeying your orders and towing the line!" Bigwig ranted, cornering his former boss at the top of the bridge.

"Thlayli, be careful now." Holly had never been so afraid in his life. "Think about what you're doing."

"Go now, Captain Holly, or we'll kill the lot of you!" Bigwig threatened darkly, as his eyes seemed to glow in the night burning with ultimate fury.

Holly had no other choice but to flee or he would receive a violent thrashing from the strongest rabbit in the world, although Toadflax and Scabious stubbornly stayed behind.

"We're not cowards!" Scabious declared, standing his ground.

"Go, now! Or we'll kill you!" Hazel growled, coldly.

"It's you who will be killed!" Toadflax was losing his patience, and his cruel eyes fell upon a scared Lily. "But I'd rather start with the farm doe! The trouble started ever since she came to our warren!"

In a flash, Toadflax reached over and bit her on the fur of her neck, trying to yank it off. A cry of pain and anguish escaped from Lily's mouth. All of a sudden, Silver rushed forward and cuffed Toadflax right in the eye, forcing him to release the doe. Silver gave the bully a few more hard cuffs to the face until his face was bleeding from the scars.

"You don't know how long I wanted to do that!" Silver smirked, triumphantly.

"You stupid-Oomph!" Toadflax prepared for a rematch, but Bigwig leapt upon him, his claws extended as they left scratches on Toadflax's face as he pined him to the ground with all of his strength. He scowled dangerously at Scabious when he tried to intervene.

"If you lay another paw or tooth on that doe, I will tear out your throats at the same time!" Bigwig's eyes blazed with such savagery that it put the fear of death in Toadflax, so the cowardly Owsla officer fled the scene, later joined by a frightened Scabious. He growled softly, relieved to have freed himself from the Owsla, and he turned to the slightly bruised Lily. "Are you hurt?" he asked, his voice softer.

"I'm alright, it's just a scratch," Lily assured him, wiping a tear from her eye as a result of the sudden attack. "By the way, why do they call you Thlayli?"

"It's the name I was born with, it means fur-head." Bigwig gestured to the fur on his head and the mane around his neck.

The rest of the band came out from under the bridge, making sure the coast was clear and needed to make a clean getaway before things could get really worse.

"Someone must have told them what you're up to. We need to move, before they come back with the entire Owsla," Bigwig instructed.

"Along the line of the stream and through the meadow everyone, then into the woods. Come on!" Hazel ordered.

As the small band of rabbits made a run for it, Hazel looked back at Sandleford warren with a longing solemn frown. Lily glanced over her shoulder, she knew he was thinking about Dewdrop. She was not coming. Lily had a suspicion that Dewdrop was responsible for ratting them out to the Owsla, but she knew Hazel would never accept it. However, they needed to leave Sandleford and discuss it another time.

"Hazel, we need to go now," Lily told him.

Nodding, Hazel followed Lily as they caught up with the rest of the group, thus beginning their journey to find a new home.


	3. The River & the Road

After a close call with the Owsla in their escape from Sandleford, the band of rabbits paused to rest their legs, long after crossing the stream and the meadow. A dark forest lay before them, surrounded by a wired fence, probably made by man to keep out the wildlife. Hazel hopped toward the fence and sniffed the air. A distant bird's chirping caught his ears, it wasn't a predator, thank goodness. He studied the fence for a while, until Bigwig came over.

"Hazel, we'll have to stop here," Bigwig told him. "Fiver and the others, we're all tired. They need to rest."

"He's right, Hazel." Silver agreed.

"Look, once we're beyond the woods, we'll really be clear of the Owsla. We can rest then," Hazel said, decidedly.

As Lily watched Hazel boldly approach the forest, she thought how brave he must be. Then she noticed Bigwig glancing warily up at the black trees. She didn't understand why, but his grim expression told her there might be some danger to these woods. Then he beckoned the rest of the band to catch up, and the rabbits approached the wood's entrance cautiously.

"I've never been in a wood before, Hazel." Violet trembled. "It looks dangerous."

There was no doubt about it that Violet was correct. Their surroundings appeared petrifying and spooky, like something out of a book that Henry's father used to read to him at bedtime, as far as Lily remembered. Looking up, their only light to guide their way through the darkness was the moon, but it seemed to add an eerie feel to the atmosphere surrounding them.

"Follow me!" Hazel ordered.

Hazel started forward, looking around to make sure no predator or elil was lurking in the bushes. Rushing forward, he gestured the group to join him. As they did, Pipkin paused to catch his breath. Lily glanced over her shoulder and rushed back to gently usher the young buck onward. She never left his side as they continued. Fiver struggled to climb up a short hill, but he made it with some help from Blackberry. The rabbits continued onward until they rested underneath a large bush that provided a good cover for them when they heard strange sounds coming from nowhere, believing a predator might be watching and waiting for the chance to strike.

Lily had noticed Bigwig scouted ahead to check for any signs of danger. The noises, adding to a snap of a twig on a bush, made him jerk his head up in alarm, but so far, there was nothing. Fiver thought he noticed a pair of golden eyes gazing intently at him from above the trees, before he crawled over to remain at Hazel's side for safety. An owl glided past the moon and barely noticed the terrified rabbits.

Bigwig decided to turn back and rejoin the group, but his ears perked up. He looked behind him, but all he could see was a leaf falling from the trees. Hearing Lily's whispers to urge him to come back convinced him to return to the band in time.

"Do you think this is where the Black Rabbit of Inle lives?" Bluebell wondered, frightened.

"Bluebell, you're making everyone nervous," Blackberry scolded him.

Lily's head cocked to the side in confusion. "What is a Black Rabbit of Inle?" she asked.

The rabbits whirled their heads around, fixing glazed stares at the farm doe.

"You don't know the Black Rabbit of Inle?" Dandelion questioned in surprise.

Lily shook her head. "No, but who is he?"

"The Black Rabbit of Inle comes for rabbits at their predestined times of death," Hawkbit explained, his voice darkly terrifying as he approached the doe with his paws raised in the air, "he lives in a stone warren inhabited by dead rabbits, filled with disease, death, and sadness beyond imagining. With eyes that burn like the flames of Hell as they stare right into your soul, and if you so much as look upon the face of the Black Rabbit-"

"That's enough, Hawkbit!" Blackberry swatted the grey rabbit on the back of his head. "You're scaring everybody!"

"I was trying to scare her," Hawkbit retorted, rudely. "She doesn't know anything about the ways of the rabbit."

"Sorry for being raised by humans if it bothers you so much!" Lily grunted, offended. Though truth be told, being warned against the Black Rabbit of Inle planted fear in her. If what Hawkbit said is true and all of the rabbits believed it, Lily hoped she would stay alive throughout her journey and to never meet the Black Rabbit.

"That's the problem, you've been raised by humans," Dandelion added, dryly. "You've been stripped of your knowledge of the ways of the rabbit."

"Maybe it's for the best..." Lily rebuked, but no more words came out of her mouth to make a clever retort.

"Be quiet!" Bigwig broke up the argument. "We don't want to attract elil with your bickering. Besides, there's no such thing as the Black Rabbit."

"Don't deny it, Bigwig, you believe in him as much as everyone does," Dandelion retorted.

A tree branch fell, just behind the band a foot away. The startled rabbits jumped, even the smaller ones squealed. A black bird flying over their heads in place where the branch used to be.

"Hazel, this was your plan. Where are we going?" Hawkbit asked, moving closer to him.

But Hazel was very unsure of where the group was trying to go, so all he could say is, "We need to get clear of the old warren, then I guess we'll find somewhere to stay."

"You guess? He guesses! Who's the leader here, anyway?" Hawkbit scoffed. "No one by the looks of it."

At this point, the other rabbits began doubting their plan of leaving Sandleford as they muttered or whispered amongst each other, except for Lily. Her ears and head jerked up, and her eyes enlarged in an alarmed state.

"What is it?" Bigwig asked, his eyebrows raised.

No words came out of her mouth as her blue eyes fixed upon the black and white face of a badger emerging from a bush, and its muzzle was covered in red smears of blood on its teeth. Bigwig followed her gaze, and his eyes widened in horror.

"A lendri!" he cried. "This way!"

The lion maned buck immediately forced the panicked rabbits out of their hiding spot, making a clean getaway of the badger as it reared its head back and snarled menacingly at the fleeing bunch. However, the badger was too tired to chase them so it turned its head and departed.

"It had just killed," Violet panted. "I saw blood on its lips."

"Lucky for us, it had," Dandelion said. "Otherwise, it might have been quicker."

Coming to a decision that no one wanted to travel by nightfall after the encounter with the badger had left them agitated, everyone decided to rest in an abandoned empty hole in a tree until daybreak comes. Bigwig and Silver kept a stern lookout by the entrance, just in case any more elil was nearby. Lily snuggled a lot closer to Pipkin to calm the frightened young buck, while she cast one last wary look at the outside world before falling asleep.

* * *

The morning sun rose over the horizon, bringing as sense of peace to the awakening rabbits as they arched their backs to stretch and yawn. Bigwig and Silver sniffed the air or scanned the area before they permitted everyone to leave the abandoned hole once the coast is clear. One by one, the rabbits squeezed out of the hole and silflayed in a clearing. A butterfly flew past Pipkin and the curious young buck started to chase after it.

"Stay close, Pipkin," Bigwig warned him.

Fiver smiled as he watched the young kitten pursue the butterfly for amusement, until his body began to shiver as he his visions started to kick in. He gasped, his voice quivering and afraid.

Lily's had shot up when she heard the runt's shivering. "Fiver, what's wrong? Are you cold?" she asked, concerned.

"He's not cold, he's having another vision," Hazel assured her, before he turned to his younger brother. "What can you see, Fiver?"

"High lonely hills. Where the wind and sound carry every whisper, and the ground's as dry as straw in a barn..." Fiver spoke, as if he were addressing a prophecy, until he returned to normal again. "That's where we have to go, Hazel. That's where we'll find our new home."

"Is it far?" Hazel asked.

Just then, a cry came from above in the distance. All of the rabbits looked toward the sky to catch a glimpse of a white bird flying aimlessly about in the clouds. At first, they assumed the bird was an elil, but he took no interest in the bunch, so their postures relaxed.

"I've never seen a bird like that one," Pipkin said. "He's not elil, is he?"

Blackberry chuckled, calmly. "Not all birds are enemies, Pipkin. He's just a gull."

"You mean like a seagull?" Lily piqued with interest. "I've seen those kind of birds before." A memory of laying in the sand while Henry build a sandcastle as his parents prepared lunches from their picnic basket brought back happier times for her.

"Young bucks these days don't know a thing about the world." Bigwig shook his head, sighing.

"And being a Captain of Owsla, you must know everything, huh Bigwig?" Hawkbit grumbled.

Bigwig glared sharply in the grey rabbit's direction, exclaiming, "Hey, you wouldn't have gotten this far without me, I know that much!"

Hawkbit frowned as his ears dropped to both sides of his head, moping, "We should never have left Sandleford warren in the first place."

Then Fiver began to shiver again, standing tall and staring out in the distance or up to the sky. "Darkness comes in the light of day. No future for those who stay. A warrior shall pursue us."

"Oh, by Frith, he's off his knockers again," Dandelion complained.

"Oh, my nose tickles. It's a sign from Frith!" Hawkbit started to mock Fiver openly, making Silver and Bluebell laugh at his impression. "The end of the world is coming. Run away!"

"Knock it off!" Lily growled, feud up with others' mistreatment toward Fiver, and the other bucks just glared at her in silent response.

"What does he mean a warrior shall pursue us?" Violet asked, curiously.

"THEY'RE UP AHEAD!" a male voice shouted in the distance, answering the doe's question.

Dandelion gasped, recognizing the voice as he stomped his foot to the ground multiple times to alert everyone. "Owsla!" he cried.

"Everyone, run!" Hazel ordered.

The band started to run together, staying close in a group so no one will be separated. Lily glanced over her shoulder and, to her horror, the Sandleford warren's Owsla were in hot pursuit of the fugitives. She knew Captain Holly had tried to arrest them for misunderstood reasons, so that was probably the case, unless their intentions are to kill them. She caught Pipkin by the scuff of his neck fur when he couldn't run anymore, then noticed Bigwig smile in relief when his intentions to go back for Pipkin were taken care of. Suddenly, the rabbits nearly slipped themselves when they came toward the edge of a cliff, overlooking the River Enborne.

"This is a nice surprise, Hazel!" Bigwig exclaimed.

"I say we go deeper into the trees and hide!" Bluebell suggested, panting.

"No! We have to cross the river!" Fiver claimed.

"Cross it?" Hawbit protested. "Maybe some of us could cross it, but you, Bluebell and Pipkin are worn out!"

"If Fiver says we cross it, we cross it!" Hazel announced.

"But how do we cross it?" Violet asked, exhausted.

Lily didn't say a word, with Pipkin, whom she still carried in her mouth.

"Keep running!" Silver yelled, pushing some of the rabbits further on hurriedly.

The rabbits could here the voices of the Owsla shouting, not too far behind as they gained closer on the escapees and they could hear voices shouting, "They're here, I see 'em!" That voice belonged to Toadflax. "Faster, faster! Get 'em!" Holly's voice echoed in the distance, thus forcing the fugitives to pick up their speed.

"We'll never outrun them now! We're done for!" Hawbit whined, fearing the worse to come.

"Anyone have any suggestions on how to get away?!" Silver demanded, his breath heaving.

Lily felt her energy going down, no matter how faster she ran, she felt ready to pass out at any time. But she felt a strong determination to keep going and to avoid being captured again. Just then, she noticed a loose log dangling over the top of hill. An idea sprung into her brain. This could work. "Violet, I have an idea, but I need your assistance!"

"All right, but what is it?" Violet was confused.

Lily threw Pipkin out of her mouth toward the behind of Fiver, who felt the impact of the kitten on his bottom and he looked back to see the two does making a mad dash up the hill.

"What are you doing?!" the runt shouted.

"Go, take Pipkin!" Lily commanded, rushing up the hill at top speed with Violet by her side.

Without an objection, Fiver ushered the worried Pipkin to keep going. This drew the attention of the Owsla as they changed their direction to the fleeing does up the hill, believing the fugitives have taken a different path.

Reaching the top, Lily explained her plan to the terrified Violet on what to do. "Help me push the log downhill! It will keep those bullies out of the way!" she instructed.

Violet didn't ask any questions to why, but she was desperate to flee the Owsla and agreed to her example. Leaning their weight against the log, the does pushed with all of their strength. When the Owsla, lead by Holly, made it to the top, their dark expressions turned to horror as a runaway log came rolling right toward them.

"Back the other way!" Holly ordered, as he and the Owsla turned tails and ran downhill.

However, the log caught up to them and the Owsla, including Holly, found themselves dancing on top of it like a clown on a circus ball to stay on their feet and not fall off. The log carried its passengers over a small cliff and it crashed into a tree. The impact of the crash broke the log in half. Surprisingly, Holly and the Owsla survived, though quite dizzy by the impact. Lily and Violet giggled like two school girls who just played a prank on a bunch of bullies.

"Nice trick," Violet complimented. "El-ahrairah would have been proud."

"Thank you, but who is..." Lily decided to save her question about this El-ahrairah character for later. "Err, it won't last long until we regroup with the others."

"Your right." Violet agreed, and the two does hurried off.

It wasn't long before they reunited with the rest of the group as they came another clearing, but their path blocked by the river. The rabbits panted and breathed heavily, exhausted from their escape of the Owsla. Hawkbit and Blackberry examined both ends of the river, then returned to the group.

"There's no way across down stream!" Hawkbit took a few deep breaths.

"And it just gets wider that way!" Blackberry added, gesturing to the far end of the river.

Suddenly, a bark sounded off in the distance. Everyone froze as they realized their situation had gotten worse by the minute.

"Quiet!" Bigwig got down on all fours, sniffing the air and listening for the bark. Once he intercepted the scent, he warned, "There's a dog loose in the wood!"

"Well, that does it!" Silver grunted.

"A dog?!" Bluebell trembled. "Are you kidding me?!"

"Come on! What do you think will happen if she catches our scent?" Bigwig said.

Angry voices shouted in the distance, alerting the group that the Captain and his Owsla had resumed the pursuit.

"Well, that's the trouble with Owsla and dogs, isn't it?" Dandelion said. "They just don't know when to give up."

"What's happened to Lily and Violet?" Pipkin was growing concerned by the minute.

No sooner had he spoke those words, Lily and Violet showed up and everyone was relieved, except for Bigwig.

"What have you two does been doing?!" Bigwig berated, his face filled with anxiety. "Fiver came back with Pipkin, telling us how you lead the Owsla to a different path, and for a minute there, we assumed you had been captured or worse!"

"We... I..." Violet stammered.

"I had an idea to push a log downhill to keep the Owsla off our tail, and it worked!" Lily explained, then added with sarcasm, "Your welcome, by the way."

"Bucks are supposed to deal with the enemy, not does! They can get easily killed!" Bigwig didn't seem impressed by Lily's plan, making the poor doe feel discouraged.

"Enough, Bigwig!" Luckily, Hazel came right between them. He turned to the does with a calm smile on his face. "That was very well done, both of you," he commended, softly.

Lily and Violet blushed at Hazel's grateful words. Bigwig opened his mouth to say something, but the distant barks cut him off.

"Is that what I think it is?" Violet trembled. "A dog is in the wood?"

"I'm afraid so," Bluebell said, on the verge of giving up. "We might as well surrender to the Owsla or risk getting killed by a dog."

"Or we can fancy our chances of hopping on water," Dandelion added, jokingly.

Bigwig stared at the water for a minute. If some of the bunch can swim, they will swim to the other side, or else be captured by the Owsla, or mauled by a dog. "We'll swim! Now, everybody in!" he commanded.

"Oh, wonderful. Follow Hazel and Fiver, see the world, drown." Sarcastic as always, Hawkbit jumped into the water alongside Bluebell and Dandelion.

"But I can't swim!" Violet protested.

Pipkin didn't dare move toward the water as he shivered. "I don't think I can do it either, Bigwig!"

"Well, you can't stay here, lad," Bigwig told him.

"They won't make it, Hazel." Fiver turned to his brother.

However, Blackberry noticed two floating objects stranded on the shore. "I might have an idea! There's a way across!" She ran to the water's edge and used her paws to stop what appeared to be a large flat piece of wood and the lid of a trash can to keep them from floating off.

"I thought you said there's a way across," Hazel panted, staring at the two objects in confusion.

"Yes, on this wood and this round piece of metal," Blackberry replied. "Look here, they float."

"And toads hop! So what?" Bigwig rolled his eyes.

But Fiver understood her plan immediately as his eyes lit up. "Blackberry, that's brilliant!"

Bigwig exchanged baffled glances with Hazel, saying, "I'm missing something here."

"What Blackberry means is those who can't swim can ride on the wood and the lid!" Lily explained, also figured out Blackberry's plan and realizing she too inherited intelligence as much as she did.

"Get on the wood, Pipkin!" Fiver ordered.

After looking back for a moment, Pipkin leapt onto the flat wood, surprisingly it held his weight. Then Fiver jumped onto the wood beside him. Violet climbed on to the trash can lid, later joined by Lily, who couldn't swim in deep waters either despite swimming in a bathtub that Henry often bathed her in whenever she got dirty.

It was just in time. Out of the bushes emerged Holly and the Owsla, fuming after being humiliated by the does' trick with the log. One of them said, "Where are they going?" and another said, "What's going on now?" Blackberry and Silver dove in, though Bluebell and Silver began pushing the flat wood and the trash can lid with their noses as their passengers were holding on to their little rafts.

"GO!" Bigwig shoved Hazel into the river, before the Owsla could catch him as he leapt into the water.

The rabbits did their best to maintain keeping the water above their heads while pushing their little boats through the river. The Owsla could have given up on the chase, but Holly directed them to make a sharp turn and shouted, "This way!" to head for an old fallen tree that stretched out over the river. The Owsla Captain figured they could try capturing them towards the end of the branch, for the branch could hit one of the rabbits and knock them off their boats. But it was a near miss and a close call as two of the officers fell into the water, yet they managed to swim back to shore.

Lily watched as her friends kept pushing her boat and her friends' boat as they kept swimming, until they came to a crossing that her group could be able to reach for safety. All of a sudden, Holly jumped into the river and he attacked Bigwig. Lily grew concerned, feeling the urge to go back and save him. But Bigwig managed to defend himself and knocked Holly back to shore, where he climbed out of the water and back to shore.

At that time, the dog appeared. A collie, by the looks of it. She had trailed the scent of the rabbits and once she found them, the collie barked and began to chase after the terror-stricken Owsla as they fled for their lives. Hawkbit and Silver laughed at the Owsla now that the tables have turned on them. The group had succeeded in reaching the other side of the river for safety. Except for Lily and Violet, for Bluebell was starting to grow tired and slowed down, accidently turning it around and headed straight to the barking dog.

"Bigwig, behind you!" Hawkbit called out.

Bigwig turned his head, and gasped sharply when he realized the doe who captured his heart was in grave danger. He swam back to them as fast as he could. Violet and Lily tried to turn the trash can lid around with their paws, but Bluebell kept pushing onward, closer and closer to their doom.

"I don't think we'll get out of this alive, but I'm glad I got to meet you," Violet sobbed, believing this was the end.

"So am I. You're a good friend, Violet, and so is Bluebell and everyone else," Lily sighed, defeated.

The dog was about to charge at them when she had jumped into the river, until Bigwig came up from under water, gasping for air.

"Nothing's ending while I'm around!" Bigwig furiously landed a swipe at the collie's nose, causing the dog to howl in pain.

Using his nose, Bigwig pushed their raft, and a baffled Bluebell, towards the other side of the river where the other rabbits were waiting, looking worried as they watched the events unfold out on the water. When they got there, Lily helped Violet get off the trash can lid whilst Bigwig assisted Bluebell to hop on to dry land. On the other side of the river, the collie swam back to dry land as well, her temper flared at having her nose scratched, but she turned on the nearby Owsla instead.

Before he retreated back to his warren in Sandleford with the Owsla, Holly bellowed angrily from the other side, "I'll see you again, Bigwig! I promise you that! And next time, there won't be a river or a dog between us!"

"Oh, I'm counting on that!" Bigwig laughed, triumphantly. He waited patiently for the rabbits to climb off their boats and rush off, although he lingered longer for Lily to get off as he escorted her off to safety with the others.

"That was a very good idea of yours, Blackberry," Hazel sincerely complimented the doe. "Worthy of El-ahrairah."

"Yes, I think so. It worked rather well, didn't it." Blackberry smiled proudly. "Let's try to remember it someday. It might come in handy again."

Lily gazed at Bigwig, remembering his courage of risking his life to save her and the others. She didn't want him to think she felt ungrateful. "Thank you, Bigwig. You were very brave."

"Nothing at all," Bigwig replied, then he added with honesty, "I'm just glad you're safe."

For a moment, the two of them smiled genuinely at each other. Before either of them could say anything, Hazel called out for them to regroup. Casting one last look at the Enborne river, and the collie retreating back to the whistle of her owner, the two rabbits hopped off to catch up with Hazel and the others.

* * *

The band of rabbits continued on their journey to these high hills that Fiver had described as their new home, passing a corn field close by. Pipkin often tried to catch a butterfly, but he was warned never to stray off by Bigwig, since the encounter with the dog and escaping the Owsla had left him on guard and high alert. He often stayed by Lily's side to ensure she never wandered off either. Lily felt her body tingle at the closeness of Bigwig's fur slightly brushing against hers. The little resentment she held for his scolding her for throwing the Owsla off trail was now forgotten.

"Everybody, listen up!" Bluebell had an announcement to make. "Now that I'm official storyteller, I've decided I am the official storyteller of the group, by the way. I've decided to make it into a legendary tale." Then he came up with the title that suited it. "It's called _The Story Of How Hazel Led Our Escape Over The Raging Rapids_."

"It was Blackberry who had the idea," Hazel explained.

"Yeah, but you also stayed calm and led us on our way." Bluebell turned to the others as he proudly addressed Hazel. "I tell you, he is what I call a Chief Rabbit. Hazel-rah!"

"Hazel-rah? Chief Rabbit?" Bigwig laughed, thinking it was a joke. "Frith in a wasp's nest! The day I call you Chief Rabbit, Hazel, that'll be the day. I'll stop fighting that day and all."

Hazel smiled and shook his head, dismissing the idea of being referred to as their chief rabbit.

"What does 'rah' mean?" Lily whispered in Silver's ear.

"It's what a rabbit calls his chief or a prince, it's how they address the rabbit as their leader," Silver explained, whispering in her ear.

"Oh, I see." Lily nodded, then she overheard the other rabbits muttered amongst each other and what they said caught her attention.

"I know we have to find a new home, but we're like sitting ducks out here in the open," Hawkbit spoke in a quiet voice. "And why does it have to be so far away?"

"I guess because Fiver says," Blackberry said.

"Ugh! Fiver says a lot of things. What if Fiver says jump out of a bush and tickle a wolf?" Hawkbit insulted, huffily. "Because Fiver says."

"Hazel's no fool, Hawkbit!" Blackberry began standing up to Hawkbit's negative sarcasm. "He knows we need to take Fiver with a pinch of salt every now and then."

Growling, Lily wanted to rush over and make a retort to tell off Hawbit's rude remarks, but she felt Bigwig's paw on her chest holding her back. She looked up at him as the lion maned rabbit shook his head, warning her not to start a fight. Lily knew he was right, but she grew concerned for Fiver's self esteem.

All of a sudden, they heard something loud and unfamiliar zooming from the other side of the hedge. The rabbits stopped in their tracks, scared for a brief second. Lily thought it sounded familiar when she heard it.

"What's that?" Hazel wondered, curiously.

"Up ahead. Through the hedge." Bigwig made a different turn, and everyone else followed him.

To their surprise, they discovered a highway road pavement. The rabbits sniffed it and studied it cautiously, having never seen a road before, except for Bigwig.

"What is it? It doesn't smell natural." Hazel had sniffed the road to figure out what the scent is.

"Have you never seen one before or something?" Bigwig questioned, then his last sentence sounded like an insult. "You don't know much about things, do you, Hazel-rah?"

"Then why don't you teach me, Bigwig? Or better yet..." Hazel suggested, hotly. "Have Lily teach me as she seems to know it more than you."

Lily's eyes had enlarged when she first saw the pavement. "It's a road!" she explained. "Humans put the black stuff there so they can drive their cars can ride on it."

"You mean a hrududil?" Bigwig sighed, as he meant to correct the doe of his meaning of cars in their own language.

"A what?" Lily asked, but then her ears cocked as she heard an oncoming car approaching. "Uhh, Bigwig, there is a car coming. Get off the road, now!"

"No worries, lass. They're harmless, so long as you leave them alone at night." Bigwig sat in the center of the road on the yellow line, just as a car drove past him. The lion maned rabbit smirked, pleased at his own demonstration of surviving the hrududil, as his fur blew by impact of the car's speed. "I told you, they-" suddenly another car came toward Bigwig, but he ducked down and carefully kept his body still, so the tires didn't squash him.

"BIGWIG!" Lily screamed, for a moment she thought he was killed.

The other rabbits almost started to panic, until Bigwig slowly got himself up and wasn't injured at all. The other rabbits sighed in deep relief, though none was relieved the most was Lily.

Bigwig cleared his throat, a little embarrassed by the incident, brushing it off like it didn't matter. "See that? They don't hurt you. As matter of fact, I don't think they're alive at all."

"But they can hurt you, if you don't stay off the road!" Lily reprimanded, disagreeing with his theory.

"Lily is right. Since you said they're not dangerous, but look at that." Fiver used his paw to point out a dead hedgehog lying on the road, bloodied and probably flattened by a car. "A yona… why would it kill a yona?"

"Humans in cars don't see what small animal crosses the road-" Lily told him, except she got interrupted.

"Yonil hunt at night. That's what I'm trying to say to you," Bigwig warned. "In the dark, the hrududil have these big lights that draw creatures close. And if they shine on you, you go tharn. And then, they crush you."

No one spoke a word against Bigwig's theory about the hrududil, all of them wanted to remember never to gaze into the lights of the hrududil or else.

"You let me know if you want me to teach you anything else, Hazel," Bigwig finishes, as he began crossing the road, but not before he gently shoved Lily to go ahead.

Everyone else continued on their way as crossed the road, their ears kept alert for any more hrududil that might come their way. So far, none came.

"Bigwig, what did you mean go tharn?" Lily asked.

"It means you are stupefied or paralyzed with fear, unable to move or say a word," Bigwig replied, as stood on his hind legs briefly to make sure everybody made it safely across the road. Then he turned to her, his face serious and his stern voice pleading, "Just promise me one thing, Lily. That if you ever stand in the lights of a hrududil or confronted by an elil, you run as fast as you can. Don't EVER go tharn. Promise me!"

The lion maned buck sounded gravely urgent for her to keep this promise as he leaned over her, even though it made Lily afraid, but she agreed, "I-I promise."

Satisfied, Bigwig let out a sigh as he ushered her to continue onward. Lily wandered if this was normal for Bigwig, one minute he was rude to her or Hazel like on the road or back in the wood, and the next he was overly concerned for her safety. Brushing it off for now, she continued on with her friends for the rest of their journey.


	4. Danger Everywhere

The ragtag band of rabbits continued on their journey for the high hills, crossing meadows, passing fields of crops or grazing cows and horses along the way (Lily said a polite hello to the cows and horses), squeezing under a wooden fence to cross another meadow, until their feet began to ache as their bodies cried out for rest and food.

"Does anyone know where we're going?" asked Silver.

"Hazel does, I'm sure," replied Violet, confidently.

"They need to rest, Hazel," Bigwig said. "And they are hungry too."

At that moment, Hazel paused and looked out to a great field of tall bean plants that crowded together like corn stalks where a few bees and butterflies hung about. "There's something up ahead."

"A warm friendly burrow perhaps?" guessed Bluebell.

"No, not a burrow, a field," Hazel replied. "A great field of scented plants that will cover us until we're rested. And the beans will be good to eat."

"You're beginning to sound like a chief, Hazel," complimented Blackberry.

"Hazel-rah sounds like a good name," Lily said.

"Hazel-rah!" laughed Bigwig. "That'll be the day I call him chief, that will."

Lily would have made a clever retort, but she grew so tired that she didn't say anything. The rest of the band were exhausted from their travels, so they piled up separately underneath the bean stalks, providing them good shelter and shade. Some of them stayed awake to eat the beans from the stalks.

"It's so peaceful here," Fiver sighed, feeling a sense of relaxation overtake him.

"Enjoy it while it lasts," Hawkbit stated, glancing up at the sky warily. "The next disaster can't be far off." Then he closed his eyes to rest.

Nobody cared about any disaster happening soon because they were too sleepy to care. Lily nibbled on a few of the beans growing on the stalks, then noticed Pipkin hopping toward a bean leaf to sniff it and then going to the next one.

"You want to try a bean?" she asked, kindly.

"In a minute," Pipkin told her, "I just want to explore for a while." He spotted a ladybug crawling on a leaf.

Lily smiled at the young buck's curiosity as he longed to explore new places or things that are different from the world he grew up in, or had never seen while growing up in Sandleford. She remembered her own curiosity when she was a young doe, growing up on the farm or taken on Henry's family outings had been a new experience for her, having never seen things a rabbit has never seen in his or her life.

"You should rest, Pipkin, we have a long way to go," Hazel yawned as he spoke to the young kitten.

"I will, I just wanted to look around a little," responded Pipkin, as he then chased after a ladybug.

"Don't go too far," Hazel warned.

"I won't." Pipkin noticed a toad and decided to playfully chase after it instead.

Watching the young buck pursuit the toad brought an amused chuckle out of Bigwig, saying, "Aww, boundless energy of youth."

"I'll keep an eye on him," Lily suggested, and without any objections she trailed after the little buck.

As the curious little Pipkin continued his pursuit of the toad, Lily caught up to him and prevented him from going any further beyond the fence when he got closer to the fence. Just then, they heard a strange voice mumbling. They looked up and there stood a seagull resting on the fence post.

"It's a seagull!" exclaimed Lily. "I don't know if they are friendly or not."

Though being the friendly and kind-hearted young buck he is, Pipkin approached the gull to say, "Hello."

"Aaaaahhhh!" the gull squawked and nearly fell off the fence post. He glared at the doe and the young kitten as he spoke with an unfamiliar accent, "You crazy?! Why you sneak up on Kehaar for?!"

"I'm sorry," Pipkin apologized. "You're a gull, aren't you?"

"Yah!" The gull, called Kehaar, responded, "Gull, from big water."

"What's a big water?" Pipkin lowered his eyebrows in confusion.

"I believe he means the ocean or the sea," explained Lily.

"Yah, what your mother said," Kehaar confirmed. "Water forever. Full of fish. You know where big water go?"

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Kehaar." Lily shook her head, then realized how the seagull referred her to when a young kitten is close to her. "And second, I'm not his mother. I'm his friend."

"Are you lost then?" asked Pipkin.

"Lost... hungry... want fish..."

"I wish I could help." Pipkin frowned in disappointment, but then his face lit up. "I saw you flying earlier. It must be wonderful to fly! If I could see these high hills when flying, then we can find our home."

"Would you happen to fly up and see if you can find these high hills, Mr. Kehaar?" Lily asked, politely.

"Don't know if I could these high hills. You both lost too, huh?" said Kehaar, for a moment wondering, "like me... like Hanya."

"Hanya's another gull then?" figured Pipkin.

"Nah! Mouse," Kehaar explained. "She say 'if you got no home, make home where you are.' Pfft! She nice, but confusing."

Before Lily or Pipkin could ask another question, they heard a familiar buck calling out for them and they turned their heads around in the direction of where the voice came from.

"Pipkin! Lily! Where are you?" shouted Hawkbit.

The seagull cocked his head, staring at the bean stalks. "Who that?" he asked.

"It's Hawkbit," Lily told him, then remembered how she didn't introduce themselves to the seagull, and neither did Pipkin. She didn't want to be rude in front of a gull before leaving without introducing themselves. "My name is Lily, and this is Pipkin."

"I suppose we should get back now," said Pipkin. "It was nice meeting you, Kehaar."

"Humph! Be nicer if you had fish,' Kehaar grumbled, though nevertheless was sad to see the two rabbits go.

"Say hello to this Hanya for us, please," Lily added, before she and Pipkin turned and headed back to the group. However, they noticed Violet wandering over to the fence with her nose in the air. Puzzled, Lily and Pipkin started to follow her.

As the seagull watched the two rabbits depart, Kehaar sighed sadly, "Ohh, everybody lost. Nobody got a home." Flapping his wings, the seagull took to the skies.

"Violet, what are you doing?" asked Lily, catching up to her friend.

"I can smell violets!" the cream colored doe replied. "Mother said I was born with fur just like the flower itself. That's why I was named after the violet flower." A small patch of purple flowers were growing just outside the wooden fence in the meadow a short distance, much to Violet's delight. She hopped over to the violet patch and started to eat them.

"Mmm, they must be delicious!" Pipkin licked his lips hungrily and started to hop over to eat some of the violets.

But then, Lily became very increasingly alert as she heard the sound of wings. It sounded like Kehaar's wings, except larger and fiercer. She caught Pipkin by the ear to prevent him from leaving the field.

"Ow! What did you do that for?" the young buck was angered at having his ear pulled, but then he noticing the doe was shaking in terror and grew concerned. "Lily, what's wrong?"

Then Lily spotted the shadow of a hawk circling the sky as it turned to make a dive on the unsuspecting Violet. The ginger doe became paralyzed to react or do anything. Pipkin wondered why she had gone tharn while trying to get an answer out of her, but Lily was too shaken to respond. The young buck realized that Lily's behavior was telling him that elil was close by.

It all happened so fast in the blink of an eye. Without any time to warn Violet, the hawk extended its sharp talons out and there came a bloodcurdling squeak. The spot where Violet once stood amongst the disheveled flowers was now empty, leaving nothing except a few drifting feathers and some drops of blood.

Lily and Pipkin were extremely traumatized by what they just witnessed. Violet's death cry had alerted the other rabbits to awaken from their slumber or interrupted their meal of beans as they came rushing over to their paralyzed friends.

"What happened?!" Hazel demanded, his voice filled with anxiety.

Pipkin's voice trembled as he tried to find the right words, until he spoke tearfully, "Violet's gone."

The rabbits softly gasped, as they couldn't believe that one of their members had been taken by elil. It was a serious blow to their hearts. They lowered their heads in mourning. Blackberry placed a paw on Lily's shoulder to make sure if she was alright, but the physical contact broke Lily out of her paralyzed state and she burst into tears. She buried her paws in her face, crying hysterically. The death of Violet had an emotional affect on her. Lily had just gotten to know Violet, but fate had been cruel to her by robbing a dear friend.

"I'm sorry, lass." Bigwig comforted her softly.

"You told me not to go tharn, but I _did_! I could've saved her!" Lily looked up at him with her furry cheeks wet by tears. "It's all my fault!" Then she reached over and gave him a hug in need for solace.

Feeling her do this, Bigwig was unsure about it at first, but then he frowned sadly as he gave her a little squeeze. They remained like this for a few moments, whilst he joined the rabbits' prayer for the loss of a friend.

"My heart has joined a thousand today... for my friend has stopped running..."

Pipkin began to cry as he buried his face in Blackberry's chest as the doe offered him comfort by stroking the fur on his head, as if a mother was consoling a child after a painful loss.

"Come on, we can't stay here." Hazel solemnly left the field as everybody followed in silence.

Lily and Bigwig released from their hug as they both caught up with the band.

* * *

The group remained silent and somber as they continued on their journey. The clouds became dark and gray, as if nature itself was in mourning with them. Rain began to pour out from the skies and the rabbits got soaking wet. Their paws covered in mud as they crawled under a wired fence. Hazel got a cut on his back when he felt a sharp prick from the wire, and his blood stain left on the prick. Bluebell collapsed, exhausted. Hazel urgently encouraged him to keep moving due to elil often hunting at night. Shortly after crawling under the wired fence, they came to a ditch where Fiver paused. He turned his head to gaze at a tall tree surrounded by smaller trees on a high hill. Lightning struck the top, but the trees weren't destroyed nor set on fire.

"Fiver, what is it?" Hazel looked back to see his brother had froze.

"There, that's where we're going!" Fiver declared, as if he felt Frith had sent a message to send them the destination of where they needed to go. "That down. That's our home."

For a brief moment, Hazel seemed questionable of his level of trust toward his little brother. "We head for the down!" he announced at last, as he instantly followed his brother down the path.

The rest of the rabbits were uncertain over Fiver's idea and looked ready to express doubts regarding Fiver's sanity, until Lily boldly ushered them to go onward. So they decided to keep pressing on. Lily glanced over her shoulder to see Bigwig was shaking his head disapprovingly, his tension building up but he kept it locked inside of him for now, before he caught up with them.

The rain started to cease, at least for now. However, the other rabbits grew exhausted from their long walk in the ditch as they climbed up a steep hill, and grew wetter and muddier by the second due to the rain and muddy path. Some of them complained the need for sleep, others were not only tired but frightened.

"Where are we going to sleep?" asked Hawkbit. "There will be more elil out soon. It's too late to dig for scrapes."

"There! We'll rest there!" Hazel gazed at an abandoned church in ruins surrounded by a small graveyard behind a damaged stone wall. "It'll give us enough coverage from elil."

"We can't rest there! It's a Man place!" objected Bigwig, standing protectively in front of Lily and Pipkin.

"There are no men in there, I don't smell any man at all," Lily assured, passing the surprised lion headed rabbit to go forth in the abandoned chapel.

Cautiously, the rabbits entered the chapel and Hazel sniffed the air to make sure it was safe. It was, so he gestured the others to come in. The chapel had no pews, lots of broken glass windows, no roof, although plenty of debris that fell from what used to be a roof. An old sign hung half loose at the entrance and it could still be read as Lily found out, _NEWTON CHURCH._

Everyone settled down under a large chunk of debris and immediately fell asleep. Lily was forced to sleep behind Bigwig cause he wanted her by his side at all times, especially Pipkin. This was his way of ensuring their safety. Silver and Bigwig stayed a little off distance from the others to stay on guard that no elil was around.

It had been a few hours when the rain had stopped and the rabbits had taken shelter in the ruins of the church for the night,. Everyone was dozing quietly, until Fiver started to mutter and gasp in his sleep. Bigwig and Silver whirled their heads around, annoyed. Suddenly, Bigwig's ears pricked up.

"Shhh!" hushed Bigwig.

Fiver's eyes snapped open, alarmed. "Bigwig! I thought-"

"Quiet!" Bigwig growled, trying to settle him down. "Something's here." His white ears twitched when he heard something was approaching them.

"Maybe it's the Black Rabbit of Inle."

"Nonsense, there's no such thing."

A hideous squeak captured their attention and, in that instant, a large black rat had grabbed Bigwig by the ear. His pained cries echoed in the chapel like thunder. This awoke the other rabbits, startled and alert. Bigwig swung his head to shake the rat off his ear and send him flying into an old statue. The impact knocked the statue down and it fell with a crash. This drew the attention of a white owl flying nearby. It noticed the rats and the rabbits inside the chapel, fighting amongst each other as Dandelion kicked a rat into a wall. The owl's dark eyes glared dangerously when it changed direction, swooped down and caught one unlucky rat so far. It nearly caught Fiver, who scurried under the debris for safety with the others. Lily swiped at a rat which tried to go after Pipkin, though Hazel took care of the rest of the rats so far.

Suddenly there came a vicious cawing sound. It seemed to frighten the rats as they scurried off to hide. As for the owl, it didn't want any part of whatever else is coming either as it flew away with the dead rat in its claws for a late night snack.

"Now, what?!" grunted Bigwig, rubbing his ear from where he had been bitten.

Everyone looked up as another pair of wings sounded off, though they sounded quite smaller than the owl. Nobody saw movement at first, until Lily pointed out with her paw at the shape of a black bird lurking above them in front of the broken glass.

"Corvil! A reckoning of them!" Bigwig exclaimed.

"Don't you mean a crow?" Lily suggested, and the lion maned rabbit shook his head at her so-called ignorance.

The crow glided downward and landed on another pile of debris. It wasn't alone as it was joined by a large group of crows, they came surrounding the area and the worried rabbits, unsure of how to react. It proved obvious to why the rats and the owl evacuated. This abandoned chapel was owned by the flock of crows, making it their territory.

"Let me try talking to them." Hazel attempted to speak with the leader of the crows.

"Talk to them?! Hazel, no!" Bigwig knew it was absurd to communicate with an elil.

"Look Hazel, when I lived on the farm, the crows proved to be quite a problem as they ransacked fields and... you're not listening to me, are you?" Lily grumbled, failing to make Hazel see reason instead of trying to knock sense into him not speaking to these troublesome crows.

"He never listens," Bigwig sighed, agreeing with her.

"Umm... hello..." Hazel greeted, though he stuttered. "We understand that this might be your home." The lead crow titled its head sideways with a caw as the rabbit spoke, "We are only here because we've got nowhere to go-"

The lead crow suddenly charged at Hazel and started to violently peck at him, while the rest of the flock charged at the other rabbits. The group tried bravely to defend themselves from the crows with every strength and courage they've got. Most of the rabbits kicked them with their strong hind legs or swatted at them with their paws, claws extended. But it made the crows more aggressive that some of them began to bite the rabbits. Two crows tried to drag little Pipkin out as the young buck cried out. With a roar, Lily cuffed the two crows with a harsh swipe of her paws. Though one of them tried to pull at her ears, until Bigwig viciously grabbed it by the tail with his mouth and flung it across the floor.

"Someone should draw them away, give the rest of us a chance," Bigwig suggested, hastily as he fought against a crow.

"Are you mad?! You'll never outrun a corvil!" Hawkbit exclaimed, thinking the idea was insane.

"I'll go!" Dandelion volunteered with a determined look in his eyes and, in a flash, he raced out of their hiding spot that drew the crows' attention toward him.

"He's serious!" Bluebell gasped.

Using the debris as leverage, Dandelion leapt from one to another as he dodged and maneuvered his pursuers to reach an opening in the wall to get out. Everyone left their hiding spot as they climbed to a high broken window to get a view of watching worriedly as the entire flock of crows pursued their friend.

"That is one fast rabbit," awed Blackberry.

Dandelion dashed across the graveyard, faster than any rabbit no one had ever seen. He raced under a fallen log, where a crow banged himself up against it. Thinking fast, the blonde buck lead them to the stone hedge where he slipped through a hole and another crow crashed his body upon contact. The rest of the flock flew over the hedge, refusing to give up the chase.

"He's got them distracted, let's go!" Hazel ordered as they evacuated the chapel.

Circling the chapel's burial ground, one of the members of the flock caught sight of the runaway rabbit and maneuvered his flight position closer to his prey. Dandelion noticed this, so he picked up speed. The crow almost got his claws on him, but the buck's quick thinking lead him to a crash landing.

As the rabbits made their escape from another broken window, they noticed one crow, the leader of the flock, gaining altitude to swoop down and swiftly snatch up Dandelion, carrying him up in the air.

"There he is! No, Dandelion! Put him down!" cried Hawkbit, horrified.

The reminisce of Violet's death flashed through Lily's eyes. She couldn't bare to lose another rabbit to elil, so she did something no rabbit had ever done. The doe made a sharp turn and raced after the crow, who had taken away Dandelion. The rabbits had taken notice of what she was doing, shouting for her to come back, but it fell on deaf ears.

"Lily, come back! LILY!" Bigwig yelled after her, fearfully shocked by her actions.

The doe leapt from one from tombstone to the next, using her speed to escape any crows that tried to attack her. She used the tombstones to gain higher ground and gravity as she got closer and closer to her target. And then, she lunged at the crow as the impact startled the crow. The black bird squawked and let go of a screaming Dandelion as he fell to the ground, though he wasn't hurt. Lily's weight had brought herself and the crow back to solid earth. The ground's impact of their fall didn't kill them, but Lily knew she had to get out there as soon as possible before the crow could take its revenge on her.

"Over here!" Dandelion shouted.

Lily hurried over to him and the two rabbits climbed up upon one of the stone tombs, then used a rows of tombs close to gain faster ground and for a staircase to reach the black iron fence. Lucky for them, they were both slender enough to slip through the thin bars. The crow smashed himself against the fence, cawing in a rage.

"Run, Dandelion! Run, Lily!" shouted Hawkbit, as he and the other rabbits leapt out of the window.

There was too many crows and the pair of runaways found themselves surrounded. Dandelion was close to exhaustion, so he scrambled under a pair of fallen gravestones piled on one another for cover. Lily hurriedly crawled underneath the headstone pile beside him. The crows surrounded them as the two rabbits remained hidden, looking quite helpless in such a deadly situation. Lily and Dandelion exchanged sad faces, believing this could be the end. The lead crow landed in front of them as his caw sounded like wicked laughter now that it was all over for the rabbits.

All of a sudden, a familiar battle cry came out of nowhere. Bigwig pounced and rolled over the lead crow with a harsh throw, slightly breaking the bones of that malicious black bird. "One step closer and I'll pull your tail feathers out, and stuff them down your throat, you embleer corvil!" he threatened.

But the lead crow stood his ground and charged at the lion maned rabbit. The two enemies battled fiercely in combat. Bigwig managed to find the strength to keep fighting, remembering his precious doe hiding under the gravestones, determined to win the fight and protect her. He pinned the crow to the ground with his strong arms, holding the black bird's beak to the side to expose an opening, and reached down to bite the crow's throat.

Thunder crashed, and the crow died instantly. Lily's eyes enlarged, horrified at what Bigwig had done. Dandelion had turned away when it happened. The rest of the crows retreated after witnessing the death of their leader.

"Is everyone okay?" Blackberry concerned as she came rushing over, joined by the rest of the group.

"Remind me never to outrun crows again," Dandelion sighed, crawling out of his hiding spot.

"Don't ever do that again!" Hawkbit cuffed him on the back of the head while scolding him, though nevertheless he was quite happy to have him back.

"Where's Lily?" asked Hazel.

Lily was visibly shaken by Bigwig's killing a crow in cold blood. How could a rabbit be so bloodthirsty? Especially one so strong and protective as Bigwig. As Bigwig approached her, she scooted deeper under the tombstones. The blood stained on his mouth and teeth from his kill. He didn't look like a rabbit at all in her eyes, but a savage lion intent on killing whatever elil that stood in his way.

Bigwig looked back to see she was still under the headstones, prepared to give her a good scolding for her recklessness, but he saw how traumatized she was as Lily shivered from watching him murdering a crow. "Lily, are you alright?" he asked, softly.

"You just killed it..." Lily's voice stuttered, as she couldn't get it out of her head, probably for all times.

"I only did what I must," Bigwig spoke before reaching a paw out for her, but the idea of being touched by him made Lily panic as she bolted out of her hiding spot to stay by Hazel's side, whom was quite relieved to have her back safe and sound.

Bigwig sighed, dejected. Then looking at his reflection in a small rain puddle, the blood still on his lips and his mane stuck out like Medusa's snakes, he immediately realized why she was afraid of him because not only did he kill an elil, but he did it in the act of monstrosity. Lily viewed him as a monster. It wretched Bigwig's heart that she had to see him like this. But he knew that he did what he had to do to save her. He wanted her to understand. Then his eyes fell upon Hazel as he comforted the frightened doe. That was it. It was all Hazel's fault. Hazel brought them to this Frith-forsaken place, endangered their lives, and nearly cost the lives of two more rabbits. All because of Fiver's stupid visions and dreams. Eyes hardened like the soul behind them, Bigwig had enough of those outskirter brothers and their foolish idiocy.

* * *

Long after the rabbits had left the ruins of the church, the rain poured harder than ever. Once again, mother nature symbolizing tension and a feud was about to happen within the group. Morning is just around the corner, but no one could know it unless the rain stopped.

"What's happening back home, I wonder?" Pipkin sighed, thinking about his old home in Sandleford. "Think, when we lived in our own burrows? Dry, soft, warm bodies of mother snuggling with their young ones to keep them happy."

"Look, Hazel, we can't go on like this," Dandelion complained, though slightly shaken from the incident with the crows.

"It keeps getting worse and worse the further we go," Silver reminded him, thinking back to all of their near death encounters with elil in the past few days. His red eyes narrowed at him. "Where _are_ we going? Other than these so called high lonely hills?"

"It won't be much longer, then we can all rest." Hazel tried to calm everyone down, but no one was having any of it.

"How MUCH longer?" Silver interrogated.

"We should never have left Sandleford," added Hawkbit.

"Suppose Fiver is all wrong?" Blackberry was starting to doubt to have doubts as well.

"We want to go back to Sandleford and find out!" exclaimed Bluebell.

"Go back?" Hazel was incredulous. "After all we've been through?"

"And probably get killed for wounding Captain Holly and escaping the Owsla?!" Bigwig scolded, aware of what could happen if they returned to Sandleford. "Talk sense for Frith's sake!"

"We must go on until we reach the high hills!" Fiver protested, standing his ground.

But Silver came toward Fiver in a threatening manner, a dark scorning frown on his face that would've made Bigwig proud. "I don't believe you know where we're going. This down of yours probably doesn't exist, you mole-snouted, muckraking..."

"**QUIET!**" Bigwig exploded, and all eyes landed on him. "Alright, day's breaking, we should stop."

"No, we keep moving," Hazel refused, stubbornly. "Just until we found another safe haven from elil, than we rest."

It was by now that Bigwig had quite enough. "Are you giving me an order, Hazel?" he started questioning the rabbit's authority and his brother's validity vision. "Because I didn't realize anyone had made you Chief Rabbit!" Lily gawked at the lion maned buck in fear as he vented his frustration at the brothers, "After all, it was me who helped us escape Sandleford! Blackberry, who rescued us at the stream! Oh, and Dandelion, who saved us from your stupid mistake with the birds! We followed you here, because you promised us a better life, Hazel, a _**BETTER LIFE!**_"

Hazel did not lose his temper like Bigwig did, so he calmly sighed as he tried to assured the buck, "Things will improve when we reach the down."

"Yes, yes! The down." Bigwig guffawed, haughtily. "The place we're heading for no reason other than Fiver had a _feeling_ about it!"

"Alright, how about we calm down, everyone!" Lily interrupted, trying to be the reasonable member among the group. "Perhaps, we should rest, Hazel. We'll continue on after we're all rested. Mostly everyone is exhausted. And hopefully, we can discuss things in the morning."

Hazel noticed the others looking completely exhausted, especially Pipkin. He thought over what Lily told him and understood her point.

Refusing to go any further, Bigwig started attempting to dig himself a scrape on the bank next to him. "Now, I'll dig myself a scrap for the night. Is that okay? Not because I want to rest, but because this is where I'm staying!"

The others began to join him soon after, much to the dismay of Hazel and Fiver. They were losing the faith and trust of their companions.

Sighing, Lily started digging but remained further away from Bigwig as she decided to dig a scrape for herself and the two brothers. Despite agreeing that everyone needs to rest, she began to dislike the lion buck's confrontational aggression. "Bigwig, don't you think you're being a little hard on Hazel and Fiver?" she asked.

"HARD?! Look at us, we're digging in the rain like does. How am I hard?!" Bigwig questioned, still angry.

"I understand that we're all exhausted, however it doesn't mean that we should put the blame on Hazel and Fiver."

"A mistake that nearly got _you_ killed!"

Lily tried to make a retort, but she closed her mouth when nothing came out. He was right. But she never blamed Hazel and Fiver for it. "Yes, but... thanks for saving my life. It's just that... if I haven't stepped in to save Dandelion..."

Then, Bigwig had a brief moment of silence. At first, he assumed she feared him for his gruesome killing, but when she thanked him for saving her life, that brought relief for him. He made sure nobody was listening as he whispered, "I never meant to threaten you in the wrong way, Lily. I just want what's best for everyone in our group... especially you..." but his serious mode resumed as he added harshly, "But from now on, you are not leaving my side. You will stay away from Hazel and Fiver. You will stay with me at all times, and don't ever do anything reckless again! Do I make myself clear?"

His dark tone made her shiver, especially after witnessing the death of the crow by Bigwig's doing. Warned to remain at his side and never to communicate with the two brothers felt like being confined in a cage and forbidden to leave. He expected her to answer, so she gave a silent nod with no other choice. The lion buck had finished the muddy burrow, and the others crawled inside to huddle together and sleep. But there is no room for Hazel and Fiver, at least Lily had dug them an extra scrape for the brothers to sleep in for the night.

Hazel and Fiver remained at the entrance of their own scrape. Lily wanted to climb out and sleep by them, but she felt a larger paw clutch her petite paw. Bigwig scorned in her direction. He didn't want her to have anything to do with the two brothers. He wanted her in his sight at all times, even if he had to use force to make her understand. Sighing, Lily began to see more of Bigwig's coldness than she realized. This behavior was starting to get on her nerves, but she was terribly afraid of him. How could she tell him that she didn't approve of his controlling, bossy attitude.

The rain started to slow down as it continued throughout the night. Everyone had dozed off to a peaceful slumber. Their adventures in the abandoned chapel forgotten. Hazel and Fiver remained awake for a while. Lily had one eye open as she overheard Hazel losing his sense of confidence as a result of Bigwig's frustrations and everyone else beginning to doubt him.

"Bigwig was right. I'm not a leader," Hazel groaned in his depressed inadequacy as leader. "I'm not strong like him, not smart like Blackberry, not fast like Dandelion, and I don't have jokes to tell to lift everyone's spirits like Bluebell. Or visions to keep us from harm like you. And I almost got Lily killed tonight." He had no special abilities like the others as far as he was concerned, to the point of costing the life of Violet and almost losing the lives of both Lily and Dandelion that night.

"You've lead us this far and none of us are dead," Fiver softly comforted his elder brother. "I know we lost Violet, but we didn't know what would happen. No one is to blame for her death. Lily risked her life to save Dandelion and she is still alive. Isn't that a miracle itself?"

"It's blind luck is what is," Hazel replied, listening to the thunder roll by. "We could use another dose or that right now." And then, he fell asleep right beside his brother.

Gazing at them sorrowfully, Lily wondered how she could help Hazel and Fiver, whilst trying to keep peace amongst the rabbits, especially for Bigwig. She hoped the answer will come tomorrow, whatever it may be. Her eyelids grew heavy as she closed them and fell asleep.


	5. Cowslip's Warren

The morning sun came for the rabbits after the hardships of yesterday. Neither one of the rabbits moved an inch, though a raindrop touched Lily's nose and it twitched cutely. In the distance, an elderly plump rabbit with tan fur, pale brown eyes, crooked shaped ears, and the resemblance of cat whiskers on his face peeked up from out of nowhere before hiding again, then he repeated this gesture for while, either he was playing jack in the box or peek-a-boo.

Lily's ear twitched when she heard movements, her eyes shot open and her head raised up. She poked Hazel's cheek to wake him up. He groaned as he yawned and arched his back to stretch.

"What is it?" Hazel didn't like to be woken up early.

"Over there! Another rabbit!" Lily exclaimed, her voice loud enough to awaken the rest of the sleeping beauties in the scrape behind her.

The rabbits became wary about this stranger. As they watched, the elderly rabbit stood up on his hind legs and began to dance as he approached.

Hazel stared at this strange rabbit, sniffing cautiously. "What on earth is that rabbit doing?"

"I believe he is dancing," explained Lily, giggling as she found the dancing rabbit amusing.

When the elderly rabbit came closer to them, he sniffed the air that lead him right to Lily, who drew back uneasily, and gazed at her with an odd grin that made her feel disturbed. Bigwig prepared to tackle what he believed to be a perverted old rabbit, until the elderly rabbit began to hop around the doe in a circle.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome!" the old rabbit greeted in a strange yet friendly tone. "Greetings all," he added, fixing a strange friendly grin at their baffled expressions.

"Who are you and what do you want?" questioned Hazel.

"My name is Cowslip. I come from a warren," the elderly rabbit introduced himself. "I don't want anything from you. You look tired. Have you come a long way?"

"We have traveled a long way to reach the high hills." Lily pointed out the down in the distance, but she gasped when he fixed that odd smile in her direction.

"And you are most welcome, my dear." Cowslip bowed his head in a polite manner.

"Uhh, thank you..." Lily said, "but my friends and I-"

Bigwig immediately stood between the doe and Cowslip, glaring suspiciously. "Either way, so what if we have? That doesn't mean we can't defend ourselves!"

"Don't be rude!" Lily hissed in his ear, making it twitch and he frowned at her.

"I don't doubt that for a second. Our warren's not as big as we like, but there's enough food to go around. And if you'd like to live with us, we'd welcome you," Cowslip offered, then noticed the scrape they dug in last night for shelter. "These scrapes don't look too comfortable. There's more heavy storms on their way."

The rabbits glanced up at the sky. Despite the small rays of sunshine, there were signs of another rain storm approaching. Thunder sounded off in the distance.

"Anyway, if you'll excuse me. I hate the rain." Cowslip departed, disappearing within the trees that lead to his warren.

Everyone exchanged puzzled faces. It wasn't like a rabbit to invite strangers into his warren, generous though it is, and offer his food to them. They turned to look at Lily, who remained as confused as they were.

"What?" she asked.

"He seems to have taken a liking to you," Dandelion pointed out.

"Either way, that was unexpected," stated Bluebell.

"I'd like some delicious food to eat!" Pipkin chirped. "I'm starving!"

"I agree, I could use silflay right about now," agreed Blackberry.

"Uh, we're going, right?" Hawkbit questioned, trying to consider everybody they should go to this warren. "He seemed nice. I liked him. Let's go right now!"

"Well, it might be dryer in there." Silver stared at the grey clouds for minute, then nodded at Hawkbit's idea.

"But why did he invite us there?" Fiver wondered, sounding quite suspicious. "It makes no sense to share with us. I've got a feeling-"

"Ugh, here we go." An annoyed Hawkbit closed his eyes and shook his head.

"I've got a feeling we should have nothing to do with that rabbit or his warren," Fiver suggested, in a manner of seriousness. "That we ought to leave this place at once and head straight for the down."

"Whatever will he of us think if we don't go?" Bluebell wondered.

"I'll tell you, he'll think we're afraid," Dandelion answered.

"Afraid?! Who's afraid?" Bigwig denied being afraid of Cowslip's offer.

"He seemed friendly enough," Lily puzzled, "but what does he gain to ask us in joining his warren?"

Bluebell turned toward Hazel, as did everyone else, asking, "What do you think, Hazel?"

"Yeah, we all know what Hazel thinks," Hawkbit ranted, though it sounded like he was mocking him. "He thinks the same as Fiver!"

Lily glowered at the grey rabbit for his insult, but she thought about Cowslip's offer to spend the night in his warren with her friends. It would be impolite to refuse such a generous offer, despite what Fiver believes. "Perhaps we should go. We can't be rude to our host," she suggested.

As for Hazel, he was determined not to lose the trust and faith of his comrades or be impolite to Cowslip, so he decided, "I think we should go to Cowslip's warren. These scrapes are no good in this weather and I fancy taking the chance to get warm and have some sleep."

In a second, everyone started to make their way for Cowslip's mystery warren. Though everyone else went on, only the dejected Fiver was left by himself. However, Lily paused to look back at him. She noticed how deeply worried he looked, remembering back to the time in Sandleford when he had that look on his face upon predicting blood covering the fields.

"Something about Cowslip bothers you, doesn't it?" Lily asked, concerned. "Is there something wrong?"

"He seemed a bit off..." Fiver responded, unsure. "As if he was... lost."

Just then, Bigwig rounded about and began to forcibly push Lily forward to the mystery warren. "We can't stay outside in the rain like fools! Let's go!" he exclaimed, shoving her onward before he looked back to scorn at the disgusted Fiver as he left with the doe.

"Bigwig, stop pushing!" Lily protested, hating at being treated like this by him and worried for Fiver.

They arrived at the exit of the small wood by an open meadow where they encountered a large tree with roots sticking out of the ground connected to a small hill, a field of gorgeous purple flowers grew near the warren. It was an obvious visibility from a distance, making it a perfect target for predators if they set foot on this strange place.

"Sky above us! Every living creature for miles must know that's there." Bigwig admired the view of the area.

Lily noticed that every rabbit of the warren peeked out to meet the new arrivals, while some of them ate the grass. The only problem is there was so much space and the entrance was so big that any elil could come in and kill them off. "Not scared of being seen, are they?" she mumbled.

"Look at the size of the burrow, you could get a horse in there!" Hazel added, surprisingly.

"I doubt a horse would get in," remarked Blackberry.

Behind the doe, Fiver had caught up to them but he began to shiver. His eyes shut tight as another vision took over his mind.

"Fiver, what's the matter?" Pipkin happened to glance over his shoulder and saw Fiver shivering violently.

"I don't think I like this place," replied Fiver.

"Shows what you know!" Silver stated, scowling. "These rabbits must have an easy life here."

"We're not turning back now, Fiver." Bigwig scorned.

Lily grumbled at the two bucks' rudeness. "Let's just keep your wits about you," she cautioned, though she said it in Bigwig and Silver's faces with a scowl of her own.

The two bucks shook their heads disapprovingly at her, however the other rabbits agreed with her. The group followed Hazel through the field of purple flowers. Every rabbit sitting on the large roots of the tree stared at the newcomers. They were quite big for their size, most of them plump and some of them thin, nevertheless were quite healthy. Cowslip was among the rabbits as the group, still keeping that odd smile on his expression.

"Friends, we're glad that you've come. Allow me to take you down..." Cowslip turned to hop inside the entrance, but looked back to finish, "to the Great Burrow!" He disappeared inside the tunnel.

The outsider rabbits sniffed the entrance before venturing inside. Bigwig complimented on how big the tunnels are, and some of the others agreed with him. But they marveled at the center of the Great Burrow, admiring how large it was that every rabbit inside fit the burrow. The roots of the tree kept the ceiling stable as if it were a chandelier like the small kind that Lily had seen back home.

"Look at the roof! The roots of the tree keep it stable." Blackberry whispered. "It's genius. Clever rabbits."

"Look at the size of them!" Hawkbit gasped at these large, plump rabbits. "They could rip to pieces in seconds!"

The rabbits of Cowslip's warren began sniffing at Lily, and then whispered their greetings to her. Lily still couldn't understand why they're treating her with respect. It must be her scent, probably the smell of mud and rain. She noticed Bigwig had remained at her side the whole time, and to be honest, she was getting quite irritated about it.

Fiver was still hesitate to go further inside, burying his feet in the mud. That didn't stop Hazel pushing him inside the burrow from behind. As he was pushed by his brother, Fiver noticed plenty of empty burrows that had once been occupied but now covered by spiderwebs. This made his ears drop lower. He knew immediately there was something very wrong about Cowslip's warren.

"It's alright, Fiver. I think they're harmless." Hazel tried to assure his little brother.

"There's a winter in this place," Fiver whispered, suspiciously. "A cold that never ends. Can you smell it?"

Hazel sniffed at the atmosphere around him, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. "It smells fine to me. You're still tired, Fiver. Things will look better in the morning."

"I don't know, Hazel. Dawn feels like a long way." Fiver was not entirely convinced. "Look at them, Hazel. Their eyes, they're so far away."

"I see healthy, groomed rabbits. What is wrong with you?" Hazel questioned, a light scorn on his face.

Overhearing their conversation, Lily stole a glance at every rabbit in the Great Burrow. Not only did they look lost, but a sort of maniac face as if waiting to be released and be locked up in an asylum. Their stares forced Lily to look away, and for once felt relieved of Bigwig's presence beside her.

"Friends, may I be the first to welcome you all to our warren," Cowslip announced out loud, catching the two brothers' attention.

"Thank you. We're glad to be here." Hazel stepped forward and nodded politely, though Fiver remained alone by an old tree stump, like the outsider he was called by his own group. "This is a fine warren you have. When you said it wasn't as big as you'd like, we were expecting something a lot smaller. Were there more of you living here once?"

The mood in the warren quickly darkened. Cowslip's rabbits began whispering, just at that moment when Cowslip and the others beside him fell silent, turned to glaze a secret frown at the rabbits that they instantly quiet down. Lily began to suspect Fiver's strange feeling about this warren might be correct. She noticed Cowslip remained quiet for a moment, not bothering to answer Hazel's question and changing the subject.

"Why don't you just settle in here?" Cowslip finally spoke, his odd grin resumed to replace that strange frown. "I think you'll find there's everything you'll ever need." He dismissed himself, telling some of his rabbits to show their guests to any empty burrows for them to get settled in.

"I've got a bad feeling about this place and these strange rabbits as well, Bigwig. Fiver could be right. Why are all the rabbits here so big and strange? And why are there so many empty burrows?" Lily wondered, trying to convince the lion buck to hear her words.

"They probably ate too much, but they seem healthy enough," Bigwig replied, rolling his eyes. "Come now, Fiver doesn't know everything."

Suddenly a doe with pinkish red fur and green eyes jumped out of nowhere, scaring the two rabbits. She greeted them with an overly friendly smile. "Hello, you must be the farm doe! My name is Strawberry. Nildro-hain and I are so excited to make friends with you and Hazel. Unless you don't want to be friends. It's fine if you don't."

Lily and Bigwig exchanged confuses expressions, though Lily figured that Strawberry was different from the rest of Cowslip's rabbits. There was nothing wrong with her by gazing into her eyes. She had such a cheerful and optimistic personality that could make anybody like her. However, Strawberry referred to her as a farm doe. How she knew it, Lily had no idea so she would have to ask her later.

"Of course we can be friends," Lily answered, kindly. "And my name is Lily, by the way."

"Are you serious?" Bigwig gawked at her.

"It doesn't hurt to make new friends!"

"Oh, brambles!" Strawberry cheered, her tail wagging like an excited dog. "I'd knew we get on. Come on, I'll take you on a tour of the warren. Hazel and Fiver are joining the tour as well. I'm pretty good at tours, by the way."

Before Lily joined her, she noticed Bigwig folding his arms and frowning worriedly at her, so she assured him, "Don't worry, Bigwig. It's just a tour. If there was any elil coming, we'd be warned by their Owsla."

After considering the matter, Bigwig relented. "All right." Then his voice darkened as he warned, "But if anything happens to you, I'll come looking for those two rascals!"

Lily knew he was talking about Hazel and Fiver, and she knew Bigwig no longer trusted them around her. It upset her on the inside. She wanted him to see sense that they are friends, not foes. So Lily left Bigwig to explore while following Strawberry, reuniting with Hazel so he can join them. Fiver stayed behind, scooted in the corner with his eyes widened in fear.

Strawberry brought Hazel and Lily to many empty burrows, which seemed to have plenty of room for their friends. Except one burrow had rotten old vegetables surrounded by flies that made the duo feel disgusted. Strawberry took them to a burrow next to hers, indicating that Hazel and Fiver were going to spend the night next door to her burrow, just in case they have any questions.

"Is Cowslip your chief rabbit?" Lily questioned.

"We don't call anyone chief rabbit," Strawberry answered.

"Who decides what to do about elil?"

"Oh, don't worry. Here, the elil keep away from us. The Man who comes through the field shoots them. No elil and better food than anywhere, I'm sure you and your friends will be happy here."

"Why are there so many burrows?"

Strawberry remained silent for a moment, then replied, "Because of the White Blindness."

"White Blindness?" Lily raised an eyebrow, once again unfamiliar with the language and words of rabbits. "And everyone's eye sights seemed perfectly alright." Though she knew this wasn't true after remembering those haunting eyes of Cowslip's rabbits, and Strawberry's hesitation to answer her question about the empty burrows threw a hint that something is wrong. "And how did you know I come from a farm?" she asked.

"When Cowslip first met you, he caught your scent and he told us that you have the Man's scent!" Strawberry explained, looking rather delighted instead of the opposite like Sandleford's rabbits.

"It's really something, isn't it?" Silver's voice was heard around the corner, as Lily peeked around the corner to listen.

"Certainly room for us, if we wanted to move in," Bigwig guessed, thinking he was right in moving in to Cowslip's warren.

"The rabbits smell outrageously healthy."

"Yeah, better than us anyway. They must eat like El-ahrairah."

"Oh, we do! You'll see," said a different male's voice.

Then Lily noticed a plump red buck with dark blue eyes and black tipped ears came out of nowhere and joining the conversation between Bigwig and Silver.

"Oh, I see you boys have met my mate, Nildro-hain," said Strawberry, startling Lily from her hiding spot. "Darling, would you like to show our friends the wall whilst I prepare the surprise?"

"Of course, dear." Nildro-hain trotted over, wishing Bigwig and Silver a good rest before leaving them.

After passing several occupied burrows of Cowslip's rabbits, Nildro-hain took Hazel and Lily a spot where a wall of bricks were buried long ago whilst the excited Strawberry took off down the tunnel.

"It looks Man built," said Hazel, his paws touched the brick wall.

"It was built by Man," explained Nildro-hain. "Our builders found it pleasing. So they made it part of our warren."

"How can humans build it underground? It's highly impossible," Lily pointed out, then noticed Nildro-hain's silent response when he could not answer her.

"Come look at this!" Strawberry called out.

Nildro-hain lead the two rabbits to a secret path that lead to a closed space full of pink sparkles where a huge pink crystal structure lay embedded in the ground, its engraved shape sculptured to resemble a rabbit. The crystal reflected beautifully in Lily's eyes as she gazed at the gemstone with admiration. It reminded her of a necklace Henry's mother used to wear whenever she left to go on outings with Henry's father and left him in the care of his grandparents.

"Newcomers don't usually come here, but since we're officially best friends, I'm going to make an exception," said Strawberry, as he watched Hazel walk around it and Lily admiring it. "Enchanting, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Lily awed.

"Is this another Man thing?" Hazel asked.

Then Nildro-hain broke into an amused haunting laughter that made Hazel feel uncomfortable. "No, it's a shape. A rabbit called Laburnum made it. It's where we come to give praise to Frith."

"He must have very good artistic skills," Lily commended.

"Don't you see, it's El-ahrairah!" Nildro-hain added, his head nodding toward the gemstone. "You must have heard some of those funny old stories."

"Well, yes. They're part of our lives," Hazel answered, then he noticed Lily staring at him perplexed. At first, he didn't know why she was staring at him like that, until he realized, "Wait! Lily, you don't know of El-ahrairah?"

Lily shook her head silently.

"You still believe in El-ahrairah? That must be nice," Nildro-hain sighed in wonder.

"Don't either of you know of him?" Lily asked, curiously wanting to reach out and touch the crystal rabbit with her paw.

"Careful! We don't want to damage it," warned Strawberry. "We're so blessed to have it. It's such a special place to come to, especially when you're feeling a bit sad." As she spoke, Strawberry lowered her head with deep sadness affecting her.

Lily watched her sympathetically. The red doe seemed to withhold a lonely soul behind those overly excitable eyes, as if trying to hide behind the mask of optimism. Looking in Nildro-hain's direction, she noticed his grave expression. Either he was trying to be strong despite the melancholy or overcome by the depression his mate endured.

Sometime after leaving the crystal shape, the two red rabbits tried to perk up as they brought Hazel and Lily to the burrows they were to spend the night in with their roommates; Pipkin and Bigwig.

"But we have our warren and each other," Nildro-hain said, hopefully. "We have time to think and create lovely things. No worries about food or enemies, just time. All the time in the world." There was a gleam of pride in his eyes. "We just do like any rabbit would do to pass the time." He turned to Strawberry and spoke affectionately, "It's getting late, darling. Time for us to retire. I'll be getting up early in the morning to get you some of those delicious flowers in the field growing in the field for us to share."

Strawberry blushed, bashfully trying to hide her face with her paws, and for a second Lily thought she liked cute like that. "Aww, you're so thoughtful, Nildro-hain." Passing a familiar burrow that she recognized, she called out, "Kingcup! Oh, Kingcup! Come out and meet Hazel and Lily!" The red doe paused at the burrow, just as Hazel and Lily caught up to her, where all they found was an empty burrow that had a spiderweb in the very end of the burrow. It had been abandoned for who knows how long. No one had been in Kingcup's burrow for days. Strawberry's face fell in disappointment. "Oh, I didn't realize. He's gone."

Hazel and Lily immediately shared the same thoughts about this empty burrow; Kingcup was no longer among Cowslip's warren, and no longer among the living.

"I'm sorry." Lily comfortingly offered her condolences about her loss, placing her paw on Strawberry's shoulder.

Strawberry looked up at her, smiling sadly. "It's getting late. Let's find your burrows for you to sleep in."

As the red doe escorted Hazel to his burrow where he was to share it with the already sleeping Pipkin, Nildro-hain gentlemanly escorted Lily to the burrow she was to share with Bigwig. She politely thanked the red buck for his and Strawberry's tour as he said goodnight to her. As she crawled over to a dozing Bigwig, Lily mused her thoughts over Fiver's suspicions about the warren and Strawberry's sadness, before her eyelids dropped and she fell asleep.

* * *

_Lily didn't have a good dream like everybody else. She found herself outside in the field of Cowslip's warren. However, the purple flowers had wilted and dried up. The meadow was dry and bare. The sky above was a sickeningly yellow when a fire had started ablaze, destroying everything in its path. The tree had a creepy appearance that reminded her of the black wood trees she had gone through during her escape from Sandleford's Owsla, but it displayed the uncanny resemblance to Cowslip's tree, and its roots started to take a life of their own as they reached out to grab her._

_Terrified, Lily took off down the field trying to escape the roots that snaked their way past the field of dead flowers. Suddenly, numerous skeletal paws burst out from the ground. Emerging from the dirt were a bunch of rabbits, completely torn of their flesh and loss of blood. They were nothing but skeletons with glowing green eyes and haunting grins that resembled Cowslip's odd smile. Around their necks were thin black shining ropes that embedded in the dry earth._

_Screaming, Lily fled for her life as she evaded their skeletal paws that tried to nab her. She tried to find a way to escape, but she heard a familiar voice shouting her name. Up ahead, she found Bigwig with one of those black ropes around his neck as he struggled desperately to free himself._

_"Lily, help me!" he cried, his voice suffocating as the wire tightened around his neck and blood foamed in his mouth._

_"I'm coming, Bigwig!" she yelled, leaping forward to reach him._

_The roots had lassoed around her right foot, preventing her from trying to rescue Bigwig, and she fell to the ground with a thud but landed only a few feet away from him. Grunting, she buried her claws in the earth but the roots forcibly and gradually pulled her away from the helpless buck. _

_Lily reached her paw out to him, hoping she was able to grab him. Bigwig knew what she was doing as he stretched his paw out to her. Their paws were close within inches of being touched so to hold on to one another and never let go, but no matter how hard they tried, the roots and the black rope were determined to tear them apart._

_"BIGWIIIIG!"_

_"LILYYYY!"_

_The fire spread quickly, gaining closer to the helpless rabbits, and the flames took the shape of a giant rabbit with one eye and the other white from a scar. With a roar, the giant rabbit opened his giant mouth and devoured Bigwig and Lily in one bite, the flames engulfing them in the process._

* * *

Lily bolted upright and cried out in terror, awakening the startled Bigwig in the process. The doe gasped heavily, finding the irritated lion buck grumbling as he yawned and fixed a stone-faced scowl at her.

"What's the matter with you?! It's too early-" Bigwig paused, seeing tears in her blue eyes and such a look of fear that she must've gone tharn in her sleep. "What happened?" he asked, more calmly this time.

Instead of answering his question, Lily threw herself in Bigwig's embrace. Her face buried in his mane and chest, weeping. The nightmare of losing him to these wretched black ropes was enough to make her want to hug him and make sure he never left her. Bigwig had no idea of what was wrong, but he figured out she must've had a bad dream and he returned the embrace.

"A nightmare?" he guessed.

Silently, Lily nodded her head. "You were there... caught in a black rope... I tried to save you but I got caught-"

"No worries, lass. It's just a dream," Bigwig assured her, patting her back to calm her down. "I've survived worse, and nothing can get rid of me." Though by the fear in her eyes, he suspected more to this nightmare than being caught in black rope and was about to question her about it when...

"FLAYRAH!" Strawberry's perky voice rang out among the tunnels. "Wake up, you silly goats! It's time to get some flayrah!"

Bigwig grunted, "It's too early to go raiding gardens," but he shrugged his shoulders, "Oh well, I was hungry anyway." Hearing her choked sobs, he tenderly stroked Lily's cheeks to wipe off the tears. She tingled at his gentle touch. "Cheer up, lass. You'll feel better after you get some flayrah in your belly."

"What's flayrah?" Lily asked, her weeping having calmed down.

"Wait and see, you're in for a surprise!" Bigwig smiled, leading her through the tunnel to find the exit and entered the meadow outside.

To Lily's astonishment, there lay a small batch of delicious vegetables of all kind she recognized; lettuce, carrots, beetroots, cabbage, turnips and who knows what else to get her mouth watering. Her tail started wagging, though Bigwig found it strange, he was glad that she felt much better now and kind of got used to seeing her bushy tail wag.

"Frith in a basket!" Bigwig chuckled in delight. "Flayrah!"

Cowslip's warren of rabbits, including Hazel's group, came out of the tree burrow to eat the vegetables, or flayrah as they called it. Bigwig and Lily eagerly rushed over to join them in their breakfast. Bigwig and Hawkbit devoured the lettuce. Dandelion munched on some cabbage. Silver and Pipkin ate the turnips. Blackberry was eating the beetroots. Hazel and Lily ate some carrots, which is Lily's favorite food. The other rabbits stared at them like they had never seen a hungry bunch before, but Hazel's group hadn't eaten such tasty grub in so long it felt so relieving. At one point, Bluebell sniffed a carrot to consider whether eating it or not.

"Try it, it's a carrot." Cowslip convinced him.

Taking one bite of the carrot, Bluebell felt the sweet sensation of the taste in his mouth. "Hmm..."

"How is it?" Hawkbit asked, curiously.

"Hmm... horrible... Uh-uh." Bluebell denied, his mouth full and not eager to share it with the others.

But Hawkbit knew otherwise as he tried to take it, then Dandelion and Silver followed suite. The three bucks tackled Bluebell in an amusing battle for the carrot. Even Cowslip and the other big rabbits had never seen bucks fighting over a single carrot before. Lily had finished the carrot and decided to try a turnip.

"This place is heaven," Bluebell continued eating the carrot, "if this place has carrots, I'm in heaven!"

"You feeling better?" Bigwig asked her, and she nodded. "You know, Lily, I think this is the place for us." He decided that Cowslip's warren is a good place to live.

"What farm do you come from, my dear?" Cowslip asked, hopping between Lily and Bigwig.

"Ridgeway farm," Lilt explained, although slightly annoyed by his interrupting her conversation with Bigwig, and the look in Cowslip's eyes seemed to send a shiver down Lily's spine. "I was raised by a little boy and his family, but there was a fire and I was forced to flee for my life."

"That sounds awful," Strawberry added quite sadly, as she ate a cabbage leaf.

When Lily saw the red doe eating all by herself, she began to wonder if Nildro-hain was supposed to be here to eat with her. "Hey Strawberry, where's Nildro-hain? He should've joined us by now."

"Would you like anything else to eat, my dear?" Cowslip told her, as he refuses to allow Strawberry to explain.

"No, thank you," Lily politely refused, feeling a little suspicious of the old rabbit. "I'm stuffed." Then she sees Fiver out in the distance, refusing to participate in the feast. Then she noticed Hazel was going over to Fiver, who had stayed outside all night underneath a yew tree instead of sleeping in a burrow. Concerned, Lily excused herself to go check up on Fiver, but first told a frowning Bigwig, "I'll be right back. I just want to give Fiver a carrot."

After Bigwig granted her permission, he said, "Alright, go on. Hazel really needs to get control of his brother. This place is perfect! And we don't want the rabbits thinking we don't appreciate the hospitality because of him."

Rolling her eyes, Lily left the batch with a carrot in her mouth, trotting toward the brothers with hopes of feeding Fiver some flayrah. Maybe she could share her suspicions with Fiver and Hazel, since Bigwig and the others seemed to have their minds made up to stay in Cowslip's warren. She wasn't at least six feet away from them when she heard them speak.

"Why don't you eat some of the flayrah?" Hazel offered.

"Eating food that's been left by Man? No, I'll have nothing to do with it!" Fiver immediately refused, he sounded upset.

Lily was so surprised that she dropped the carrot from her mouth and hid behind a rock to eavesdrop on their conversation, even though it was wrong.

"Are you trying to make me angry?" Hazel's expression darkened as he questioned his younger brother.

"No, I'm the one who should be angry. These rabbits... there's something about them that's sad and lost, like trees in November," Fiver spoke, frowning. "I've got a feeling that there's something-"

"What proof have we got that your feelings have ever been right?" Hazel scorned, starting to behave out of place. "Why didn't you have the feeling about Violet's death? Or the rats, the owl, and the birds who attacked us? Maybe the truth is there was never anything bad back at the old warren! Maybe we left everything behind because of _you_ for no reason! Maybe I left Dewdrop for no reason!" His voice shouted louder, until he exhaled from his tone.

Lily had never seen Hazel so angry before in her life that for a second he reminded her of Bigwig, but she was more concerned about Fiver.

"Dewdrop was the one who told the Owsla we were leaving!" Fiver revealed, now starting to get angry himself. "Hazel, I heard her talking to Captain Holly!"

Shocked, Hazel turned away with his eyes shut refusing to believe the doe he pursued for so long would betray him. "No, I don't believe you."

"He is telling the truth!" Lily decided that enough was enough as she came out of her hiding spot, surprising Hazel and Fiver. "Telling Dewdrop of our plans to leave Sandleford was a big mistake. Is that enough to tell you that she never loved you? Love can make you blind, Hazel!" It was then she realized Bigwig must feel the same way toward her, which explains why he is so protective of her, but that doesn't excuse the fact of his controlling nature.

"You're lying!" Hazel accused, jumping in her face as he stared infuriatingly at her.

"Hazel, you know she wouldn't make this stuff up, and neither would I." Fiver insisted, trying to calm him down.

"Go back into that warren or I will drag you in there myself!" Hazel threatened, angrily.

"Hazel!" Lily exclaimed, fearing a fight might break out.

"No, Hazel! I won't! I won't go back!" Fiver stubbornly refused.

"GO!" Enraged, Hazel lunged and forcibly pushed his little brother to the ground.

Something inside of Lily snapped when she saw this happen. She rushed forward and shoved her body weight against Hazel's form, pushing him backward with all of her strength. She towered over him, furious. Hazel stood back up, staring at the doe in disbelief.

"How dare you law a paw on your brother!" Lily growled, never had she felt so angry in her life, nor had she felt such strength to fight back. "If you try to drag him back to the warren, I'll tear your ears off!" she threatened, her voice as hot as the fire.

Hazel growled coldly, strange to Lily for rabbits to make such a noise. Instead of fighting a doe, he retreated back to the batch and left them under the yew tree. Some of the other rabbits turned to stare in their direction since it created a disturbance.

Impressed, Bigwig assumed that Hazel taught Fiver a lesson for being impolite to their hosts, but he grew shocked and stunned that Lily had struck Hazel and defended Fiver. As long as Fiver knew to keep to his business and not make a fool of himself, Bigwig felt relieved that Hazel took care of things with his irritating brother.

"Hazel, what happened back there?" Pipkin tried to talk to him feeling worried, but Hazel ignored him and just left for a quiet place to cool down.

"Let's give him time alone," said Blackberry, looking equally worried.

Lily couldn't believe that Hazel would attack his own brother like this, and neither of the rabbits came over to ask if they were alright like they never cared at all. Sighing, she regretted using physical force on Hazel. Never had Lily fought back against anyone, except for the rats and the crows, but this was entirely different.

"You should go back to the warren," Fiver mopped, now frightened of his elder brother for the first time.

"No, I'm not leaving you alone." Lily came toward him and gently helped him back on his feet. She brought the carrot over and laid it at his feet. "I won't force you to eat it, but it's just in case you change your mind. Fiver, that strange feeling you have about Cowslip and his warren, you're not wrong, are you?"

Fiver nodded. "We must leave tomorrow." Then he shivered, his visions send him another message. "The ceiling is made of bones. Their hearts are hard as stones."

"We need proof that there is something amiss here... hello, what is this?" Lily's voice trailed off when she noticed something queer. She beckoned Fiver to follow her inside the clump of brambles.

In the middle of the small clearing, there was a rabbit hole that lead up from one of the passages in the warren below. There were signs of a commotion, the earth had been laid bare and was scored with long scratches and furrows. And a small narrow hole about the same size as the carrot Fiver left behind. The two rabbits sniffed at the ground, trying to be detectives and deduce what could have happened here.

"It smells like rabbit everywhere." Fiver's eyes enlarged in fear as he sniffed the earth again. "And Man, that's everywhere, too."

"But how can a Man tear up the ground like this?" Lily wondered, trying to piece the puzzles together. "And what is that tiny hole for?" She remembered that horrific nightmare she recently had and decided it was time to share it with him, hoping he might know the answers. "Fiver, there's something I need to tell you-"

"LILY!"

Looking up, Lily could see Bigwig calling her over as the entire clan of rabbits was returning to the warren. Hazel trotted far behind the group, still fuming silently. His friends carried leftover flayrah to finish off inside the Great Burrow.

"How about we talk about it later, okay?" she suggested, and Fiver nodded.

Returning to the empty batch to catch up with the others, Lily was met by Bigwig, who stared at her suspiciously.

"What?" she asked.

"What happened between you and Hazel?" he questioned.

"He just found out that Dewdrop was the one who told the Owsla of our leaving Sandleford."

"Ha! I should've known blind love would get us into trouble."

"Listen, Bigwig, we should leave this place as soon as possible."

"Why? After all the hospitality Cowslip has given us?" Bigwig gawked at her. "Is flayrah coming out of your ears? Not likely."

"Fiver and I just discovered-" Lily wanted to make him understand.

"I've had enough of Fiver for one day!" Bigwig scorned, fed up with Fiver after all they had been through. "You stay away from him, or I'll give him something for ruining everything!"

"But, Bigwig-" Lily protested, shocked that Bigwig would go that far to hurt Fiver, but the glare of daggers that he gave her was scary enough to force her to nod in silence.

While Bigwig forcibly pushed her on to go back to the warren and made sure she didn't try to go back to Fiver, Lily scowled as she had quite enough of his arrogance, asking permission to go talk to who she liked and who he disliked, and his constant control over keeping her for himself. But the nightmare she had about Bigwig caught in a black rope hovered over her like a cloud of death, just like Fiver had predicted.


	6. Shining Wires

Ever since Hazel unleashed his anger out on his little brother, Fiver kept his distance from him and everybody else when he came back to the Great Burrow, laying beside a smaller tree stump, feeling miserable and more alone than ever. No one paid mind to his presence, except for Hazel and Lily. By now, Hazel gave his little brother a sad and remorseful frown, feeling regret for how he poorly treated Fiver. Lily felt a tremendous sympathy toward Fiver and wanted to sit beside him to offer comfort, but as long as Bigwig kept her close to him, she wasn't allowed to go anywhere near him. She hated every minute of having Bigwig's controlling, overprotective attitude used on her.

"Hazel, I have to say, this place is paradise." Hawkbit smiled. "I've got my own burrow, there's a lot of does here, let me tell you, and the food... no wonder these scoundrels are so far! And I just wanted to say that... I was wrong about you," he apologized for his doubts, declaring his loyalty to Hazel, "I'll follow you everywhere."

"To Hazel-rah!" Silver made a toast, acknowledging him as their chief rabbit and so did the rest of the gang.

"Hazel-rah! Huh, Frith's beard." Bigwig chuckled, amusingly. He had been lying on his back and licking his paws to clean them, and then he maneuvered around so to focus his gaze at Hazel. "You did well, Hazel. Don't let it get to your head." Nevertheless, he was pleased with Hazel's success at finding them a new home.

The only other rabbit who did not join in the toast for Hazel was Lily, her scowl blackened in his direction, still angry at him for attacking his brother. Hazel tried to smile at everyone, including her, but Lily refused to look at him as she ate a carrot. When she was surprised by Bigwig's praising Hazel, the doe grew relieved that he was starting to regain his trust in Hazel again.

"Everyone, everyone!" Cowslip announced out loud to get all of the rabbits' attention. "I thought we might welcome our new guests by hearing some stories."

"Oh yes, we have two wonderful storytellers amongst our number - Dandelion and Bluebell!" Blackberry stated, proudly.

"Aww, shucks!" Dandelion blushed at her complimented.

"Did you just give me a compliment, Blackberry?" Bluebell's eyes widened and a massive smirk spread across his face. "I didn't think you'd liked me!"

Blackberry realized she might have flattered him a little too much and tried to explain, "I didn't say I liked you, I only just said you are very good storyteller."

"From now on, we're inseparable!" Bluebell declared, gazing at her as he became smitten with her. He started making smooches as he tried to give her a kiss on the cheek.

Disgusted, Blackberry gave him a light cuff in the face. "Would you... would you... Stop trying to kiss me!" she exclaimed.

"Easy, lover boy." Dandelion had to help Bigwig move Bluebell to a different spot, then he volunteered to go up toward the large tree stump where Cowslip waited and cleared his throat.

The blonde-colored buck stood on the top of the large embedded tree stump, clearing his throat. "Ahem! Does and bucks, and kits up passed their burrow-times. This story will be dedicated to our special friend, Lily! If she hadn't saved my life from the corvil, I wouldn't be here today."

Stunned, Lily didn't know what to say. She recalled how she rescued Dandelion from the crows yesterday, but she didn't think he'd thank her for it by sharing a story with her. The doe glanced over at her friends, all smiling warmly at her. Though none smiled the warmest than Bigwig. Turning back to Dandelion, she said sincerely, "That's very kind of you, Dandelion. Thank you."

"You'll enjoy this, lass. You're in for a real treat," Bluebell told her. "And after Dandelion is done, I'll go next."

"This is the story of how El-ahrairah was given a blessing from Frith!" announced Dandelion.

_Again, this El-ahrairah. I wonder who he is, and who is Frith. I guess now will be the time I learn who they are._ Lily thought, wonderingly.

_Long ago, when Frith made the world, all the animals were the same, _began Dandelion._ "They lived together, sharing the sweet grass of the hills. Among the animals was El-ahrairah, the Prince of rabbits. He had many wives and father of all his children. Soon, his wives and children started covering the whole world and eating so much, that there was none for the other animals._

_Frith then went to speak to El-ahrairah. 'Prince Rabbit, you must control your people! There are too many. If you cannot do it, I shall find ways to control them.' _

_But El-ahrairah refused to listen, 'That is because you made them the best in the world, Lord Frith. My people are the strongest!'_

_This angered Frith as he said, 'Then, I will do it!'_

_He determined to get the better of El-ahrairah, so Frith summoned all the animals of the world to his sun cave to bring them a gift, making each one different from the rest. To the fox, the weasel, the dog, the cat, the hawk, the owl, and the wolf, he gave them claws and teeth; with the fierce desire to hunt and kill El-ahrairah's people. These animals became the elil, the thousand enemies of rabbits. When El-ahrairah found his people slaughtered, he knew at once that Frith was angry with him. He feared what Frith might do next, and the Prince Rabbit didn't wish to meet the Black Rabbit of Inle._

_The Prince Rabbit dug a hole to hide in, but he dug only a little of it, when Frith came over to the hill. 'El-ahrairah, come out and I'll give you your blessing.'_

_'I can't! The fox and weasel are after me. If you want to give me your blessing, to my bottom, give your blessing!'_

_'Very well.'_

_As he spoke, El-ahrairah's tail began to glow a shining white and flashed like a star. His ears grew longer to hear enemies from miles away. His back legs grew long and powerful, and he ran across the hill, faster than any creature in the world. The remaining survivors of his people were given the same blessing as they followed their Prince Rabbit to escape the elil._

_Frith said, 'El-ahrairah, your people cannot rule the world for I will not have it so. All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies. And whenever they catch you, they will kill you! But first, they must catch you. Digger... listener... runner... Prince with a swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks, and your people shall never be destroyed.'_

Hazel's group cheered from the story. Lily smiled the whole time, deeply interested in such a fascinating story. However, Cowslip's rabbits remained frigidly silent, not the least intrigued by the story, especially Strawberry.

"It's incredible!" Lily awed. "It's strange how I've never heard of these lovely stories before."

"It's been part of our lives and our culture, including yours," Hazel explained. "We tell them to keep our faith."

"And if you'd like, here's an extra part of the story you'll love to hear," added Bluebell, who took his turn to get up on the tree stump, whilst Dandelion returned back to his group and shared a warm smile to hear the doe enjoyed his story. "This one is about El-ahrairah and the King's Lettuce."

"That's one of my favorites!" exclaimed Bigwig.

But as Bluebell began his story, Lily thought she heard a strange chanting that wasn't far. Quietly slipping out of her group, she followed the chants and stumbled upon a group of does surrounding the pink shape of the crystal rabbit. Their eyes closed and spoke as if under a hypnotic trance, _"Devoted are we to the path he decides... Praise to be Frith for our food... Blessed are we to be his humble servants... Wise are we to accept..."_ the does repeated this eerie chant over and over, it seemed to have a creepy effect on Lily as she withdrew and returned to the Great Burrow, just as Bluebell had the story wrapped up.

Once more, Hazel's band cheered and praised at Bluebell's talent in storytelling. Lily was dismayed that she didn't stay to hear such a wonderful story, but the chanting of the does bothered her a little, so much that she wanted to tell her friends about it, until she noticed how every rabbit in Cowslip's warren still remained aloof and silent. No one cheered for Bluebell's story. They remained unimpressed and responded with a silent reception. Hazel said these stories are part of their culture, but the stories of El-ahrairah did not share the approval of Cowslip's rabbits at all.

"That was... very nice," Cowslip commended, though he was disturbed he tried to remain polite. "We don't tell the old stories much, charming as they are. El-ahrairah means nothing to us."

Lily noticed her friends reacted in shock from what Cowslip just said, as if they were just insulted by their own kind.

"But he was a trickster! Rabbits always need tricks!" Bigwig protested.

"No, no... rabbits need dignity," Cowslip stated, "and the will to accept what fate that Frith has decided for them."

"_Devoted are we to the path he decides_." Cowslip's rabbits chanted in an eerie chorus.

Lily could feel a dark presence in the Great Burrow, like a great danger was upon them. Her body shivered, but felt Pipkin's paws wrap around her front left arm for support. She could tell he was frightened by the rabbits' change in mood. Exposing a kitten to such a thing could scar him for life.

"My dear..." Cowslip addressed her, "you should be pleased by the entertainment dedicated in your name by Silverweed. Poems of Silverweed for your ears."

A youngster, close to Fiver's age, was a silver colored, skinny, and gray eyed rabbit with an old scar across his right eye, whom Lily deduced to be Silverweed, stepped forward up the tree stump. Bluebell was slightly pushed aside by this strange rabbit's presence. Lily had no idea what this meant, but she had a bad feeling about this Silverweed.

"_Frith lies in the evening sky_," Silverweed spoke in a haunting tone as he recited the poem, "_the clouds are red about him. I am here, Lord Frith, I am running through the long grass. Oh, take me with you, dropping behind the woods. Far away, to the heart of light."_

Lily stole a secret glance at Fiver, noticing how terrified he was and trying to resist being possessed by this haunting poem.

"_The silence, for I am ready to give you my breath, my life!"_

Silverweed kept his gaze focused on not just Hazel's band, but to Lily herself, as he continued to recite the poem like trying to send a message out to her and her friends. Beckoning them. Enticing them. Manipulating them to join his warren, though she wasn't entirely sure this felt like a real warren at all.

"_The shining circle of the shining, the sun and the rabbit!_"

"This rabbit... he smells like barley rained on and left to rot in the fields!" she heard Fiver whisper. "But it's more than that... he smells like wounds. Pain and rot... like a wounded mole that can't get underground."

"_In autumn, the leaves come blowing, yellow and brown."_

"Hazel, the roof!" Fiver became more spooked than ever. "The roof is made of bones!"

_"They rustle in the ditches, they tug and hang on the hedge. Where are you going leaves? Far, far away."_

"They're not bones, Hrairoo. They're tree roots..." Hazel tried to calm him down to no avail.

As the poem recited onward, images of skeletal rabbits flashed in Lily's eyes as she stared at the ceiling. She could've swore those skeletons had shining ropes around their necks. Flashes of last night's dream swept over her. The skeleton rabbits appeared to have come to life from within the roots, making gurgling sounds as they tried reaching out for her. Flames burst out of nowhere, engulfing the skeletal rabbits instantly. Amidst the fire, the roots of the tree transformed into the shining black ropes, throwing a lasso around her neck to capture her and draw her in to the depths of this hellish warren.

_"Into the earth, we go!"_

"**LET ME OUT, NOW!**" A paranoid Fiver bellowed and raced out of the Great Burrow, faster than any rabbit in the warren.

Several rabbits closer to the panicked runt were jostled and turned angrily on him, but Fiver took no notice as he violently escaped. No sooner had he left, Lily gave a pained squeal as she tore out of the Great Burrow, just as fast as Fiver had done. She couldn't take it any more. She refused to listen to that dreadful poem any longer. When Lily got outside, she didn't stop until she was at a safe distance from the warren. Panting heavily, she paused to rest in a small clearing.

"You felt it too? The sadness and evil that lingers in that place?" Fiver's voice nearly frightened Lily that she made a high hop in the air, but he came toward her, still trembling but curious about her. "Do you have visions like I do?"

"What do you mean?" Lily raised a puzzled eyebrow, until she realized he was talking about what she had seen. "Oh! You're referring to the bad dream I had last night."

"What dream?" Fiver had no idea of what she spoke of.

"Last night, I had this terrible dream about this warren. There was a fire, the tree had come to life and the roots tried to grab me, then skeleton rabbits emerged out of the ground." Lily shivered, hating to speak about it but she wanted Fiver to hear it. "All of them had shining black ropes around their necks. Then I saw Bigwig, caught in a black rope, and pleading for me to rescue him. I tried to save him, but the tree's roots caught me. And then, the flames had transformed into a rabbit with a scarred eye before it swallowed Bigwig and me."

Fiver silently stared at the doe, horrified.

"But I don't have visions like you," she added. "It just happened."

"I, too, had a terrible dream about this place," Fiver admitted. "It was cold, the roof was made of the interlaced sprays of the yew tress, stiff twigs twisted in or out and over or under, expect it was made entirely out of bones, hard as ice and set with dull red berries. Cowslip beckoning Hazel to carry the yew berries home in their mouths and eat them in the great burrow. He said our friends must learn to do it if they want to go Cowslip's way. Then came Bigwig, twisting out of the branches, his mouth full of berries saying, 'Look, I can do it. I'm running another way. Ask me where!' Hazel and Bigwig were another running, not to the warren, but over the fields in the cold, and Bigwig dropped the berries - blood red drops fell from his mouth, hard as a wire. He said, 'it's no good. No good biting them. They're cold.' And then, I woke up."

"**FIVER, ****YOU WRETCHED LITTLE BLACK BEETLE!**" a harsh voice erupted from behind the rabbits.

Before either Fiver or Lily could react, an infuriated Bigwig leapt out of nowhere and confronted the runt for causing a scene in the middle of a public poetry. "You are in one tantrum away from getting us all kicked out!" he berated. "You're determined to ruin it for us, aren't you? We've found a fine warren and get settled into it without having to fight, but _you've_ got to do you're best to upset everyone!"

"Bigwig, stop!" Lily pleaded.

"You stay out of this!" he shouted.

"I'm sorry, but we are both heading to the down." Fiver attempted to leave with Lily by his side, but their path was blocked.

"You wouldn't have a hope in hell! You'd be dead before night-Frith" Bigwig growled, then he gazed at Lily. "You're trying to risk the life of the most innocent doe we've got, just to play nursey while you go wandering about like a moon-struck field mouse!"

"You are closer to death than any of us, Bigwig," Fiver desperately tried to warn him. "The place is death. There is a shadow in every corner of it."

"Ugh! Are you still moaning?"

"I'm not! There's evil here and it's all around us!"

But Bigwig wouldn't care to listen as he cruelly mocked, "It's me, me, me! All the time. Oh, I'm in a mist, everything's bad! Ohh, I got a funny feeling on my toe, run around and stand on your head!"

"Stop it, Bigwig!" Lily yelled, furious at his behavior.

Just then, Hazel arrived after having followed Bigwig. He scowled at the lion maned buck's rude imitation of his brother, then he gazed worriedly at Fiver and Lily. He was unsure of what recently happened over them.

"Hazel, you said that you could never make a good leader, because you're not the fastest, nor strongest, nor smartest, but what makes a great leader is that you believed in us and brought out the best of us," Fiver spoke softly, before he turned to leave. "Goodbye, brother."

Lily tried to go with him, but Bigwig stood between her and the runt as he glared a warning at her.

Fiver's wise words left a surprising effect on Hazel, who realized that his own brother had always believed in him and stood by his side, even though he refused to do the same for Fiver. He suddenly hurried over to him. "Wait, Fiver!" Hazel gave his younger brother an apologetic frown. "I'm sorry. If you say this place is rotten, then it's rotten and we leave. We began this adventure together, we'll finish it together. I'll go tell the others we need to leave."

Relieved to have his brother at his side again, Fiver trailed after Hazel as he began making his way back to Cowslip's warren. Instant relief swept over Lily, pleased to see the brothers have reconciled. Suddenly, Bigwig flew into a rage as he pounced on Hazel and tackled him to the ground, shocking Fiver and Lily.

"I'm not letting you get to the others, Hazel!" the lion buck scorned, he had enough of the brothers' nonsense. "If you want to leave, go. The rest of us are staying here."

"Let me go, Bigwig!" Hazel protested.

"You're not Chief Rabbit, Hazel!" exploded Bigwig, releasing the rabbit after he got the message through to him. "And you NEVER WILL BE! If you want to take the crazy dream of your brother as reality, then do it elsewhere!" Then he approached Lily and tried to persuade her to join him. "Come with me, Lily. We have a warren to live and we can start our life together."

After witnessing his horrid actions toward her friends, Lily decided that enough was enough. Gazing at the brothers' concerned faces, she made her choice. "I will not," she refused, coldly.

Hearing the doe's defiance, Bigwig paused and sharply turned around to cast a hard scowl. "What did you say to me?" he questioned.

"I'd rather start a life with my friends rather than with you." Lily sighed, though starting a new life with Bigwig sounded lovely, but it wasn't right with how he mistreated Hazel and Fiver. "I'm sorry, Bigwig. I believe in Fiver's visions. We can't stay here. I fear for you as much as I fear for the others. It may come true."

"Are you serious?! You shouldn't have to fear this place!" Bigwig couldn't believe his ears.

Lily shook her head stubbornly. "I can't stay here, Bigwig. I appreciate the idea of starting a new life together, but not at this warren. I have to join Hazel and Fiver!"

"You promised that you won't leave by my side!"

"I did, but I can't promise you if we're not somewhere safe! And..." Lily exhaled, angrily leaning up to his face as she got her own message through to him, "I'm sick of your arrogance, I'm sick of you telling me what to do and what not to do, I'm sick of how you treat Hazel and Fiver, AND I'M SICK OF _YOU, _BIGWIG! I realize now that you really are nothing but a _bully!_"

Hazel and Fiver gasped, as Bigwig became furious when he felt like his heart was ripped out of his chest. All thoughts of keeping her for himself evaporated as he began to shun the doe who rejected him in favor of those insane brothers.

"**YOU EMBLEER HUFSA!**" Bigwig cursed. "After all I have done for you! You're willing to join up with those two rascals because of their crazy suspicions about this warren! Perhaps it'll be better that I never try to protect you from elil again!" He scowled at the three rabbits, proclaiming them banished from the warren. "YOU'RE FINISHED HERE! I'm going back to the warren to make sure everyone else is finished with you as well!" With a scornful scowl, he made a dark threat with the penalty of death if these fools ever tried to stop him. "If you follow me there, _I'll kill you_ _all!_"

Heartbroken, Lily watched as the lion buck made a dash back through the nearest gap in the hedge.

"Thank you." Fiver placed a paw on her shoulder, grateful to her for standing by him and his brother.

In that sudden instant, a fearful commotion began on the other side of the hedge. There were sounds of kicking and plunging, and the distant voice of Bigwig crying out in pain and anguish. This alarmed the trio as they stared at each other, wondering what sort of work was on the other side of the hedge.

"Something's got him," worried Fiver.

By an effort of curiosity against the fear of Bigwig keeping his promise to slay them if they trailed him, the trio forced themselves forward into the gap to see what recently happened. A wooden stout peg stood on the top of the small hill before the hedge, driven firmly in the ground. A length of twisted black copper wire gleamed dully in the sunlight and it moved violently when someone got caught in it.

Emerging from the hedge, a terrible sight lay before them. There on the ground lay Bigwig, choking and suffocating for air, while struggling and fighting to free himself from the wire looped around his neck and ran taut across to the head of the peg. Drops of blood, dark and red as the yew berries, welled one by one down his lips. He continued to jerk forward, but he still collapsed, kicking and choking.

A horrified Lily started to panic in an agonized squeal, "BIGWIG!"

Frenzied with distress, Hazel exclaimed as he rushed to the distressed lion buck's side, "Oh, Thlayli! Thlayli, you're in a snare!"

"A snare?" Though shocked, Lily was puzzled.

"It's a snare, a shining wife, used to trap rabbits!" Hazel told her, then he turned to the lion buck in distress. "Now, what did they teach you in the Owsla? Bigwig, tell us what to do!" he pleaded, but first he instructed to his brother. "Fiver, run to the warren! Find the others!"

Without hesitation, Fiver was off through the hedge and dashed back to Cowslip's warren for his friends. Lily came over to Hazel's side, trying to figure out a way to help her friend. She decided to bite the wire, hoping it will break by chewing at it.

"No good biting..." Bigwig's voice came thick and low, bubbling out the saliva in his mouth. "Peg... dig... bite..." The snare closed in around his neck as a convulsion shook him and he scrabbled at the dirt. "H-help... help me!" He tried using his paw to loosen the wire around his neck, only it made things worse.

"What does he mean by digging?" Hazel questioned, impatiently frantic.

Lily studied at the peg high above, then something clicked in her brain. "Look, Hazel! The wire's on a peg in the ground! We've got to dig it out, then we can bite the peg to free him!" She immediately started digging out the peg with rapid speed, determined to rescue that impetuous buck. "Don't worry, Bigwig! We'll get you loose!"

Hazel joined in to help the digging, though his paws weren't as fast as Lily's. The harder Bigwig tried to move, the more he suffocated himself as his cries for help stung Lily on the inside, encouraging her to keep digging. She breathed heavily, burying her paws in the earth to remove every grain of dirt in her path. Tears threatened to burst out of Lily's eyes, silently pleading that she and Hazel will save Bigwig in time. Her arms began to ache and grow tired, but she would not give up.

Meanwhile, Fiver had rushed inside the warren, where his friends were still in the Great Burrow engaged in conversation with Strawberry, talking about what just happened over Fiver's panic attack and Lily's fearful behavior, until they saw him come in.

"Bigwig's in a snare, you have to come! Quick!" Fiver hurriedly told them of the situation.

Alarmed, the gang of rabbits turned to leave so to help their companion, but Cowslip purposely blocked their path as he claimed, "Nobody leaves! Frith has decided that it is Bigwig's turn. And so it will be."

Hawkbit stared in disbelief. "Turn? What do you mean turn?"

"A day less for one means a day more for us all."

As he spoke those words, his large band of rabbits eerily chanted their leader's words, _"A day more for all."_

"But what about Bigwig?!" protested Pipkin.

Cowslip shut his eyes, shaking his head as he dismissed the young kitten's concerns. "Stop talking about it, lad. There is no Bigwig. There _never_ was!"

The gang became shocked by Cowslip's refusal to help their own kind, especially when an infuriated Fiver announced, "Frith and Inle! You're warren is nothing but a demented and religious cult who worships death and relies on the farmer who snares all of your people in exchange for food and protection!"

Taking Fiver's side, Blackberry had quite enough of this nonsense. "Now listen here, over the last few days, me and my friends have been chased, clawed, bitten, drowned, and if you don't get out of the way right now..."

"You'll find out just _why_ we made it _this far_," Bluebell added, threateningly.

Eventually, a concerned Strawberry demanded, "Let them leave, Cowslip!"

But Cowslip stubbornly refused to allow them access to leave the burrow, so the gang had no choice but to push the traitorous rabbit to the side and escape this dreadful place.

"You think you're any safer out there than you are here, you'll be dead by sunset!" cursed Cowslip.

Silver paused to turn back and curse back at him, "You're mad, _ALL_ OF YOU!" Then he raced out of the burrow to join his friends, hoping they were in time to save their fellow rabbit.

"Stop moving, Bigwig, it will only make it worse!" Lily ordered, but her watery eyes grew larger when she saw a river of blood foaming and bubbling around Bigwig's gasping mouth. "Oh, Frith! Hazel, look at his mouth!"

"I know, I know! We must not stop!" Hazel exclaimed, determined.

At that moment, Fiver had returned to the spot with the others and they reacted just as much as Lily did when they saw the blood on Bigwig's mouth, his eyes opened unseeing and the whites showed bloodshot as the green irises rolled one way or the other, and the snare tightening around his neck.

"Oh no, Bigwig!" Pipkin cried, shielding his eyes.

"The peg's in too deep! We can't dig any further!" Hazel could see the peg was embedded in the earth, even when he tried to bite the peg it did not help.

"I'll do it! I'm smaller!" Fiver quickly started to bite and chew at the wooden peg.

"I'll help, too!" Pipkin wasted no time in offering his assistance, being the second smallest rabbit in the group.

As Bigwig kept struggling to free himself, Fiver and Pipkin hurriedly chewed and chewed on the peg, while everyone else encouraged him to keep it up and tried to stop Bigwig from pulling too hard. The wood splintered under their teeth, whilst Pipkin grumbled the splinters prick him and it's hard to breathe, but he never ceased chewing. The peg's bite marks got thinner by the second. Pipkin's and Fiver's mouths started to bleed. Lily didn't want to stand around and wait, she wanted to do something to save Bigwig. After Fiver and Pipkin succeeded, the peg snapped in half and Bigwig threw himself to the ground with a painful grunt.

"He's free!" Pipkin cheered, relieved. "Bigwig, the peg's out! You're free!"

Unfortunately, Bigwig could not move at all. He wouldn't wake up. Everyone crowded around his body, distressed.

Blackberry pressed her head against Bigwig's chest where not a sign of a heart beat nor a breath came out of him. "I can't feel his breathing, or a pulse."

"Bigwig, get up! C'mon, get up!" Lily placed her paws on his body, desperately shaking him and trying to revive him. More tears poured out of her eyes when the lion headed buck didn't respond or move an inch. "No! Oh, please no!" she wailed.

No one could believe it. Bigwig lay dead before them. If a strong rabbit could break his neck in a snare or if the point of the sharp wire pierced the windpipe, there was no chance of the former Owsla warrior's survival.

"We're too late," Blackberry sobbed. "I think he's gone."

"Not Bigwig, what shall we do without him?!" Fiver cried, feeling like a failure that he couldn't save him.

This dreadful loss drained all of their courage. Their spirits broken, the rabbits gathered around their fallen comrade and bowed their heads and uttered the prayer, "My heart has joined the thousand, for my friend stopping running today." Even Lily spoke the prayer with them, finally understanding what it meant.

Pipkin began to wail and buried his little face in Bigwig's broad chest, shaking. "It's not fair!" he yelled, while Hazel gently pulled him away.

The other rabbits began to shed tears of grief and sorrow as they surrounded around their fallen companion, though none was devastated the most than a familiar red doe watching behind the hedge, shedding her own tears of grief and guilt.

Lily's vision blurred by the tears as she cries. She blamed herself for allowing Bigwig's tragic end to happen. She should've told him about her nightmare, and should never have called him a bully. Lily wrapped her arms around Bigwig's maned head. She buried her face in his own, the tears drop from her chin to connect with his cheek. Her ears draped on his head as she presses herself closer to him, weeping.

"Fiver... Pipkin... clean the blood off your mouths, it will attract elil," Hazel told his sobbing little brother and the heartbroken young kitten, and they did as told. "Come, we must leave this place." Then he realized something else. "Where's Cowslip and the others?"

"They tried to stop us from coming to help," Hawkbit explained. "And Cowslip told Pipkin to stop talking about it."

"They wha… He told him WHAT?!" gasped Hazel, incredulously.

"Cowslip said it's Frith's will, that a day less for one means a day more for everyone else."

"They're everywhere. Shining wires, all around us!" Fiver explained, just as it all made sense to him "Cowslip knows about them! They all do! You pay for it; the food, the warren, but no one must ever ask where anyone was, or speak of the wires! The whole place is snared! EVERYWHERE! **EVERYDAY!**"

"They left Bigwig to die!" Silver growled, fury boiled inside of him. "They're cowards, cheats and liars! Let's drive them out, take their warren and live there ourselves!"

All of the rabbits agreed, eager for vengeance. Justice for Bigwig. Revenge on their own kind for deceiving and betraying them. "Yes, back to the warren! Down with Cowslip! Kill them all!"

"**EMBLEER FRITH, YOU FOOLS!**" Fiver's squealing voice screamed, blocking their path despite his small form and this shocking tumult died away. His eyes blazing with frantic urgency and rage. "You want to go back to their warren?! Are you mad?! That warren's nothing but a death hole. Nothing but one Man's larder! You say kill them and help ourselves to that dreadful place?! Oh yes, let's help ourselves to misery, death and a roof of bones!"

"The Man will come soon," said a familiar female voice. "He'll take Bigwig away."

Everyone could see Strawberry sadly coming out of the hedge. The flames of anger and rage boiled inside of them. If Cowslip and all of his rabbits had been aware of the unseen danger, then Strawberry had also known about the shining wires, just like every other pathetic rabbit in this sick warren. Breathing in and out, Silver charged at the doe with murder in his eyes, pushing her to the ground. His white paw shoved in her face to keep her down. The other rabbits gaped at Silver, never had they seen him so furious. Those nearest to him fell back in fear.

"**WHY DID'NT YOU AND COWSLIP COME?!**" he yelled. "_**YOU COULD'VE HELPED!**_"

Strawberry's ears dropped, shamefully. "The Man feeds us, protects us from the elil, but there's only one thing to fear; the shining wires. He wants our bodies to be healthy, so he uses snares to kill us for food and for our skins as pelts."

"I think you'd better explain," Fiver spoke, his voice cold and bitter. "Let her stand, Silver."

Silver reluctantly stood up, allowing Strawberry to get up as she explained the dark origins of her warren, "Once this warren was full of rabbits, until the White Blindness came and some rabbits felt sick and died. The rest of us survived. Then one day the farmer thought, 'Why should I bother to keep rabbits in hutches? I'll make the warren part of my farm.' So he began to shoot all elil, and he put out food for us. The rabbits grew big, strong and healthy. And then he started to snare them. Not too many so as to scare them away, just as many as he wanted. The rabbits became strange in many ways, different from other rabbits or hutch rabbits. Oh, we all knew the truth that we will die one by one to feed the farmer, but even to ourselves, we pretended that all was well. For the food is good, we were protected. We had nothing to fear but the one fear - the running knot in the hedge gaps and the wood path. We forgot the ways of the wild rabbits. We shunned El-ahrairah's tricks and stories, for what use had we for cunning when living in a warren close to the enemy and paying the price? Cowslip discovered other marvelous arts to take the place of tricks and old stories, only stories and poems about our own lives here."

Fiver shivered, remembering those awful poems recently. "That's why they danced, make shapes, and the poetry. To forget the fear and hide from the truth. Ohh, Frith!"

"And I thought it was all part of the entertainment for guests," Dandelion mumbled under his breath.

Strawberry continued with her sad story, "Cowslip enabled us to tell ourselves that we were splendid rabbits, better than ordinary rabbits. We have no chief rabbit. How could we? A chief must guard his warren from death and he must be El-ahrairah to his people. In this place there is no death, but one, and what chief could have an answer to that? We always had strange singers and poetry lovers. Since we could not bare in the truth, these rabbits who used to be wise, were squeezed under the terrible weight of the warren's secret until they accepted dignity and anything else that Cowslip could make them believe they loved the shining wire. But Cowslip had one strict rule, the _strictest_. Nobody must ask where another rabbit is and anyone who asked _where _must be silenced. To say _where _is bad enough, but to speak openly of the wires, that is intolerable. They would scratch and kill, of course they're very poor fighters. You saw how we reacted to your stories of El-ahrairah. Who wants to hear about brave deeds of an old legend when they're ashamed of their own kind when they're deceiving you?"

The red doe paused, ending her story. No one spoke nor moved an inch. Except Bigwig's body started twitching by the ear. He heard everything.

Hazel hopped over to Strawberry, unleashing his anger on her. "You knew about the shining wires and you didn't warn us!"

"So, that's what happened to Kingcup?" Lily deduced, horror in her eyes. "He got snared, didn't he?"

"When a rabbit is gone, we never speak of his or her name again," Strawberry answered, remorseful.

"Why didn't you warn us?!" Hazel demanded.

"Just as your friends heard from Cowslip, if the wire took you, we'd live one day longer," Strawberry responded. "He didn't invite you here out of hospitality. The farmer sets so many snares at a time. There was only several of us left, then Cowslip saw you coming in the ditch yesterday, and that was his plan."

All of a sudden, a familiar exhausted voice cursed, "I'll kill them all."

Everyone looked back and to their surprise, Bigwig was coughing and gasping for air due to being strangled by the snare. He supported himself on all fours, visibly weakened by his near death experience. His furious expression over Cowslip's betrayal was a fearful mask of rage. Blood trickled down his lips to his chest to his right front paw. The sight of him would have made the rabbits cringe, but to find him still alive filled the rabbits with extreme relief and joy. Even Strawberry was overjoyed to see the lion buck had miraculously survived.

"Bigwig!" the rabbits cheered.

"You're alright, thank Frith!" Silver stamped his foot happily.

Lily's eyes widen and a smile of relief beams as she tottered over to him and gentle removed the wire from his neck. Then she embraced him, not the least concerned about his bloodied mouth staining her neck. The lion buck's mask of fury melted away when he felt her arms around him. And without hesitating, she licked the blood clean off his lips, an act which greatly surprised him to feel her tongue touch his lips. The doe began to cry on his shoulder as she felt overjoyed to have him back. Bigwig slowly wraps his arms around her and sighs in content.

"I thought I'd lost you," she whispered.

"That's never going to happen," he whispered back, tenderly.

Pipkin instantly embraced him at his chest, and Bigwig gave the young buck a little squeeze back. The group hug between Bigwig, Lily and Pipkin is a heart-warming moment, until every other rabbit dog-piled on top of Bigwig, knocking the wind out of him. All were laughing and hugging him with ecstatic relief.

However, Bigwig didn't like being piled on. "Would you kindly remove yourselves from me?" he grumbled.

"There's the Bigwig we know and love!" Hawkbit teased, as he and everybody else climbed off.

Deciding to confront Cowslip and his warren, Bigwig announced, "Now on your feet, lads and lasses! We have a score to settle!" He lead the charge as he let out his famous battle cry.

There was Cowslip standing eerily calm outside of the warren's entrance, while all of his followers stood frigidly on the tree's roots. None of them was pleased to see Bigwig was alive, except for some rabbits. Cowslip stared at them with an evil scowl. Looking at him and the warren now, Lily figured out that her nightmare must have been a warning against this awful place, and those creepy skeleton rabbits had been a sign to her of the deceased rabbits who had fallen victim to the shining wires long ago.

"Go away, unless you want to fight! Hmm?!" Cowslip warned them, though his empty threat meant nothing.

"You don't know how to fight!" Bigwig approached him, his scowl full of disdain and ready to strike at any second. "You've forgotten all the tricks and cunning El-ahrairah gave us!"

Cowslip tried to attack, but Bigwig was more cunning and fast on his feet for combat as he tackled the old rabbit, knocking him to the ground. Suddenly, the distance sound of human footsteps and a gate opening caught their ears. Cowslip's rabbits retreated back to the burrow. Back on all four feet, Cowslip began to step back from Hazel's bunch.

"Leave this place. You need the freedom of the hills," Hazel tried to convince the old deluded rabbit to listen to reason. "You can relearn the stories of El-ahrairah."

But Cowslip gave them an evil, psychotic smirk, as he backed further into the entrance. "El-ahrairah is a lie. The Man takes care of us. We don't want to leave. We don't want your freedom."

"The snares will get you, if you don't leave," Hazel warned. "You don't have to surrender to the shining wire."

Unfortunately, Cowslip began to laugh manically like an crazed inmate from an asylum. "It won't get me! Maybe others, but never me!" He continued to cackle, then he made a sudden grab for Lily's right leg, attempting to drag her inside. "You are like us, my dear. You allow Man to care for you. You belong with us!"

Lily screamed as the old rabbit's claws clamped around her leg as he attempted to drag her inside his warren of death, her paws buried in the dirt for support to no avail. Pipkin and Fiver tried to help by tugging at her arms in a failed attempt to pull her out.

"NO!" Bigwig cried, lunging forward and used his claws to strike at Cowslip's forehead. "She will never belong to you! She belongs to _us!_"

Bigwig's attacks had forced Cowslip to release his catch, as Lily tumbled forward and landed in Hazel's arms, where he smiled in relief.

As Cowslip's wicked laughter echoed inside the Great Burrow, Hazel commanded fearfully, "RUN! We have to get away from here!"

"Stay in the open! Stay away from cover, that's where the shining wires are!" Bigwig ordered.

As Strawberry watched their escape, she began to think deeply about what Hazel had told Cowslip. _You don't have to surrender to the shining wire. _She thought about Nildro-hain and what he would have done in a situation like this. In a way, he would have wanted her to live her life, just like how they dreamed they would do. Then, Strawberry made her decision. The red doe could never live in a warren where she is forced to forget the one she loved.

* * *

After escaping the warren of shining wires, Hazel and the gang paused at a different clearing further away from Cowslip's warren to catch their breath. They panted heavily, some collapsing on the ground where Bluebell said he had never been so happy to see the old ditch path in his life.

"That was a near thing," Hazel sighed, turning to Bigwig and Lily. "Are you two alright?"

"I'm fine, I just need to catch my breath," Bigwig replied, breathing heavily.

"I'm a little shaken." Lily slapped her right leg, as if Cowslip's grasp was still there. "I cannot believe humans would do that to rabbits." Her thoughts disgusted by Man's idea of killing rabbits for their meat and skins.

"I guess you're changing your opinion on humans then, eh?" stated Hawkbit, lying down in the mud.

"That still doesn't change how I miss Henry," retorted Lily, defensively.

"You know, the trouble of being Owsla is well tended to think you're right all the time." Bigwig turned to glance a grateful smile at Fiver, having been told by Hazel that Fiver and Pipkin were the ones who broke the peg to save his life, despite how badly treated Fiver, and Lily was the most determined digger he had ever seen when it came to rescuing a buck. The guilt of his blind judgement and frustrated mistrust toward Hazel and Fiver had clouded his mind, alienating his relationship with Lily, and it almost cost him his own life. Lily was right. He behaved like a bully. "I should have listened to you, Fiver," he said, apologetically.

"We all should have listened," Silver agreed, feeling guilty.

The other rabbits felt terrible for allowing Cowslip to manipulate them and ignoring Fiver when he knew the truth all along. They responded their apologies as well. Of course, Fiver easily forgave everyone. And then, Bigwig approached Lily, placing a paw on her own to stop her from slapping her right leg, assuring her that the danger has passed.

"Lily..." Bigwig began, before she turned her head, still shaken. "Lily... I was wrong to call you a hraka hufsa. I was too selfish and I gave you so much disrespect that I probably don't deserve to be here, if it wasn't for Hazel, Fiver, Pipkin and you. I just want you to understand that everything I did was to protect you, because I'm very fond of you."

Accepting his apology, Lily said warmly, "I'm sorry for calling you a bully. I understand you wanted to protect me, but not listening to me and controlling me seems like you're not even protecting me at all, except caring about yourself."

Bigwig nodded his head. "Yes... I was out of line, especially to Hazel and Fiver."

"Perhaps you could offer them a apology also, as you did for me." Lily suggested. "You can do more than admit you should've listened to Fiver. Go on, now."

Hesitating, Bigwig knew he wasn't good at admitting he was wrong, but he apologized perfectly to Lily and she forgave him. It put a spark in his heart that there's still a chance for them to be together. "Hazel... Fiver..." he said.

"What is it, Bigwig?" Hazel responded.

"I want to... tell you how sorry I am for all those things I said to you... especially you, Fiver," Bigwig seeks for an apology, much to everyone's surprise. "You lot came and found out that I was caught in a snare. If I dashed off and you lot were gone, I may have been taken by the Black-"

"Don't say such things!" Hazel told him, but of course he forgave him. "Of course we forgive you."

"Yes of course, we forgive you." A smiling Fiver forgave him as well. "We're just happy to see you're here with us."

Suddenly, everyone heard a twig snap. They looked to see where the sound came from when they realized someone is coming for them. An ashamed Strawberry shyly came out of the hedge and down the hill, then paused nervously in front of the now angry rabbits.

"You have a nerve coming here," Bigwig growled.

"Please, I didn't know Cowslip would try and stop you," Strawberry gazed at them with a stricken misery, but she wanted to make amends with them. "I'd like to come with you, if you have me."

"And why should we?" Hawkbit questioned, glaring. "Why don't you go back to Nildro-hain and all your friends in there?"

At the mention of her mate's name, Strawberry's green eyes were flooded with tears as she released a choking squeal as if she had been wounded. "There is no life in the warren of shining wires for me! I don't... I don't have any friends, not anymore. People here don't like to make friends in case they get..."

"Snared?" Lily began to realize why Strawberry was crying. It was the cry of a broken heart. "The wire got Nildro-hain… he stopped running, hasn't he?" She put it all together in her brain. That small clearing where she and Fiver discovered earlier, where clod of earth furrowed and that small narrow hole the size of a carrot close to the rabbit hole - it is the location of where the wire caught poor Nildro-hain.

The rabbits gasped, sharply.

"He got snared this morning... that's why he never came for flayrah... I did try to save him, but Cowslip struck me by scratching my ear and I was forcibly prevented from rescuing my mate," Strawberry whimpered in a pitiful voice, "please, I beg of you!"

At this point, any resentment Lily felt toward Strawberry melted away. Her heart broke at this poor doe's loss of her mate. She remembered what it felt like when Bigwig nearly died by the snare, and she would've left Cowslip's warren if he ordered her to forget her loved one. "Hazel..." Lily pleaded to him, hoping he will give the red doe a second chance.

Hazel looked at her, reading the expression on her face and he glanced at the others for making a decision to grant permission for Strawberry to join them or to leave her. After thinking it over and learning the truth about Nildro-hain's fate, they lightly smiled and nodded their heads approvingly.

Strawberry was about to turn away and head back to the warren, until Hazel spoke sternly, "You can come, Strawberry. However, it's our ways now. If we say hop, you hop. Understood?"

Delighted to be accepted in the group, Strawberry turned back to them and smiled gratefully. "Thank you," she said.

"Now, what? Where do we go from here?" asked Hawkbit.

"We should go back and kill Cowslip!" Bigwig declared in raw anger. "We should kill the lot of them!"

"No, Bigwig. There's no need to go and fight them." Fiver wouldn't allow it. "All we have to do is leave them there."

Bigwig thought it over, then turned to Fiver as he remembered where he told everyone to originally travel to, deciding to put his trust in the runt's visions. "The down that you saw, you really had a feeling about that?"

"Yes, I did, Bigwig. That down is our home," confirmed Fiver.

And so, the rest of their journey continued for their new home in the high hills, with a new friend and addition to their group. There was no questioning Hazel's authority or Fiver's insight. No sooner had they vanished into the copse beyond, the farmer wandered out in the field of the warren to search for any snared rabbits. All he finds is a splintered peg and a twisted length of wire. Angered, the farmer decided to stop using pegs and started to hammer a huge metal nail in the ground, so this time no more rabbits can escape the shining wires.


	7. Nuthanger Farm & Watership Down

Their journey continued throughout the countryside for a few miles, a few times pausing to rest under a tree or under a bush to protect themselves from elil, or to eat the silflay and berries to satisfy their hunger. When the rabbits resumed their journey, dark clouds had come. The sign of rain approaching, but no rain had come, only a light mist. No one could see anything, except using their noses and hearing to find their way out. But the band kept onward, eager to reach these high lonely hills that Fiver had predicted to be their new home.

When Hawkbit got his fur caught on sticky tight plant, Strawberry came over to use her teeth to remove the plant. The rude Hawkbit didn't even say thank you and hopped off to join Dandelion, until he got chided by Blackberry for being rude to Strawberry. So far, some of the rabbits had been wary about having Strawberry in their group after the incident in Cowslip's warren. Even after she had shown acts of kindness during their travels and won over a few of the rabbits (Blackberry, Pipkin, Fiver and Hazel), but most of them resented her for aiding in Cowslip's deceit and avoided talking to her at all costs. Strawberry was hurt by their rejection, but Lily felt guilty for lashing out at her after learning of Nildro-hain's death, a similar event to her almost losing Bigwig to the shining wire, so Lily eventually became good friends with Strawberry, as did Blackberry, glad to have another doe as part of their group.

"That's it! I've had enough!" Hawkbit complained, he had become fed up and tired of their long journey.

"Me too! I'm hungry, I'm tired, and I'm sore." Dandelion agreed.

"We can't stop here, it's too open," Hazel advised. "Elil could catch you."

Hawkbit shook his head dismissively. "We can't do this, and we can't do that. We've been following this vision of Fiver's forever."

"And it's not getting clearer, is it?" Dandelion added. "Do you see any high hills? I don't."

"Also, if you look around, it's the end of the world," Hawkbit added, more sarcastically.

Lily examined the area and all she could see is grass, mud puddles, plants, and old trees. "I don't believe it's the end of the world," she said.

"Either way, we're going back!" Hawkbit retorted, sternly.

"You want to go back to the shining wires?!" Blackberry gaped.

"Who would go back to that death trap?!" Silver rebuked, shaking his head. "He meant Sandleford!"

Joined by Silver, Bluebell, and Dandelion, Hawkbit made a turn to go back to Sandleford, until he was halted by Bigwig.

"Nobody's going back! Get moving!" he ordered, strictly.

"Oh, come now, Bigwig, you're afraid to go back because you deserted the Owsla," Hawkbit said, dryly. "You're afraid Captain Holly will arrest you."

Bigwig's eyes widened, he said nothing but he scowled darkly. For a moment, Lily thought he might swipe at the bucks, but he didn't.

"Or Silver is afraid to go back and be punished by his uncle," Blackberry added in, rather coldly.

Stuttering, Silver closed his eyes and turned away, that must have stung him more emotionally than anyone had seen.

"Hawkbit, Sandleford is gone!" objected Fiver. "I feel it in my bones and there's nothing to go back to.

"Well, that's what you said," Hawkbit snapped, glowering at the runt. "What if you're promised land doesn't exist? What if we left for nothing?"

"I SAID MOVE!" Bigwig bellowed. "I WON'T SAY IT AGAIN!"

Taken aback, Hawkbit knew better than to get on Bigwig's bad side. He than continued to hop on, joined by Bluebell, Silver and Dandelion. No one dared spoke a word against Bigwig. Lily fumed in silence, after what they had been through at Cowslip's warren, everyone still doubted Fiver's visions, especially when he had been aware of the snares. However, she was glad Bigwig had taken Fiver's side as a result of Fiver saving his life.

"What if Fiver is wrong? We can't keep them going on dreams, Hazel." Bigwig exchanged a worried expression, fearing their journey would be all for nothing.

"Dreams are all we have left, Bigwig." Hazel looked at the group, and his thoughts were the same as his friend, suppose his brother was wrong.

Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed in the distance, but only a sprinkle of rain showered upon them.

"Oh, great. Storm's coming, just what we need," complained Hawkbit.

Nevertheless, the rabbits kept going onward. The light shower didn't last long. Although Fiver got his foot under a fallen branch and fell over into a puddle. Hazel and Lily kindly helped to pick him up from the puddle.

"Come on, Fiver. The high hills can't be far now." Hazel offered comfort and assurance, but it was no good.

"If you can't stop falling back, the elil will get you," said Lily.

"What if Hawkbit is right, Hazel?" Fiver's confidence had been shattered by the other bucks' doubting him once again. "What if there's no safe place for us?"

"But you saw it, Fiver, the high hills!" Lily insisted.

"In a dream! In my head! Maybe they were right back at Sandleford!" Fiver's ears dropped sadly in despair. "Maybe I am... mad."

"Now stop talking nonsense! You are NOT mad!" Lily reprimanded, gently. "You had visions of Cowslip's warren filled with lies and death! If you're right about the high hills, then you are right about the high hills!" She took his cheeks in her paws, making him look up at her as she smiled. "I believe in you."

"She's right. If we stop believing, we're lost." Hazel was glad to have made a friend out of Lily, the only other rabbit who accepted his brother's visions when no other rabbit back in Sandleford did.

Fiver felt his confidence returning, gazing up at Lily with a warm smile. He pressed his head against her chest and wrapped his arms around her. Lily returned the embrace as she pat him on the back.

"Hazel! Lily! Come here!" called Bigwig.

The trio hurried over to Bigwig and the others as they stood on the top of a steep hill, they stared out at the distance where the fog gradually lifted but a little of the mist remained.

"What is it, what's wrong?" Hazel asked, alarmed.

"Just for a moment, I thought I saw..." Bigwig started to say, but he stopped.

All of the rabbits gazed intently at the fog, the fog began to disperse and there just beyond the fields a magnificent view of the high hills. To add a further cheer to their discovery, the rain clouds vanished as quickly as they had come. The rays of the sun reached out and touched the tree on the down, as if Frith was showing them the way to their new home.

"The high hills!" Hazel gasped in amazement.

"They're real!" Hawkbit admitted, just as surprised as the others.

"Beautiful!" Blackberry and Strawberry praised in union.

"Incredible!" Silver and Bluebell were astonished.

"You see, Fiver? I told you that you're not mad!" Lily cheered, giving the runt another big hug.

"Thank you for believing in me!" Fiver was appreciative of her encouragement.

"You were right, lad!" Bigwig laughed victoriously, as he smiled at Fiver. "You were right all along!"

"Wow! That looks far away," Pipkin pointed out.

"But it's there," Dandelion said.

Lily took a deep breath of the fresh air, inhaling the sweet smell of nature. Then her nose caught the scent of something familiar. "Do you smell flayrah or is my nose playing tricks on me?"

Hazel sniffed the air, and he confirmed it. "I smell cabbages!"

Bigwig took a whiff, deducing the rest. "And carrots, and lettuce!"

"Flayrah!" exclaimed Blackberry.

"It's coming from that farm down there!" Bluebell gestured his paw out to a human farm downhill in the meadow, a bit far from the high hills.

This only made Strawberry tremble, she shivered violently and lowered herself to the ground.

"What's the matter?" Pipkin had noticed the red doe's behavior and grew concerned.

"What if there's Man down there?" Strawberry quivered. "What if there are snares if we go for flayrah?"

Nobody said a word. Strawberry had a point, considering her experience in Cowslip's warren. Everyone thought deeply over this. She could be right or she could be wrong.

"I do see hedges and a stone wall, but there are no warrens and no rabbits living there." Bigwig's eyes scanned the farm and his nose sniffed for any burrows or deranged rabbits, but he couldn't see either of them. "If there were snares, we'd avoid the bushes or hedges." His mouth watered at the thought of eating tasty vegetables. "I could run all the way to the high hills with a belly full of carrots, what are we waiting for?" Bigwig eagerly wanted to race downhill and start devouring a big juicy carrot.

"No, there may be cats and dogs down there, not to mention Man," warned Hazel, studying the farm land warily.

"He's right, Bigwig," agreed Strawberry.

"In the Owsla, we have a saying who dares wins." Bigwig tried to convince him otherwise, using his former Owsla quoting.

"Everyone is exhausted, we need our wits for a raid." Hazel gestured out to some of their members lay on the ground, some awake and some fell asleep.

"And we need food, if we're going to get to the high hills," Bigwig added, impatiently.

"Bigwig's right." Hawkbit agreed.

"If there's lettuce down there, I want some and I want some now!" exclaimed Dandelion.

"If we don't get any food in our bellies, we'll starve and we won't be able to reach the high hills!" added Bluebell.

Hazel thought it over for a moment, and then made his decision. "At least wait until it's dark."

Bigwig turned to look down at the farm. He wanted to go eat the flayrah so badly, but the sight of Lily dozing peacefully on the ground changed his mind. She needed her rest as much as the others do. "Alright, we'll wait."

"What about a story, Dandelion?" Hazel suggested. "It will help pass the time.

"Oh, yes! Please, Dandelion!" pleaded Pipkin.

Dandelion agreed, and cleared his throat before he began to tell one of El-ahrairah's stories. As he did so, Lily had her own story playing in her dreams as she slept.

The doe dreamed of her life back on Ridgeway Farm, her very last memory of the farm. Henry ran through the fields, laughing. Lily ran close beside him, frolicking through the flowers and dandelion puffs. They laid on the grass together, gazing up at the sky and watching the clouds as they took the shapes of a train, a boat, a bird, and a seashell. The next image flashes back to the farm house. Henry is eating his lunch with his parents, and a place had been set up for her at the table. A tiny place with carrots and lettuce made just for her. The human family thought it was adorable to have a rabbit eating at the table with them, especially how she ate her flayrah.

Suddenly, a draft of gray smoke caught her nose. Lily raised her head up, and so did the humans at the table. Henry's father left the kitchen to investigate, only to come rushing back inside screaming, "FIRE!" Alarmed, Henry picked up Lily and followed his mother to get outside. Unfortunately, the door had been locked. The fire spread quickly, and time was running out. The beams of the roof collapsed, separating Lily and Henry from his parents. The impact made Henry drop his rabbit as Lily tumbled across the floor. A wooden beam had fallen and impaled Henry's mother through the skull, making Lily turn away in horror. Henry's father got caught on fire as he screamed and lost his balance when he fell out the window. Searching frantically for her best friend, Lily heard a strange cackle and looked up. There was a face amidst in the flames, the very same face she remembered seeing in her dreams of Bigwig's close encounter with the snare.

The giant rabbit with the white eyed scar. He stared at her with a sadistic, twisted, and cruel face that could put the big bad wolf to shame. Raising his burning paw, he was about to strike her when Henry's arms scooped her up and tossed her out through a broken hole in the wall. Outside, the flames engulfed the entire house as the roof began to collapse. Covered in smoke ashes, Lily made a jump for it as she dashed across the farm yard, watching as the helpless farm animals released sounds of agony, sorrow and fear. The firetrucks had arrived, but the fire, the truck's engines, the animals shrieking, and that demonic face in the fire was too much for Lily to bare, so she ran far away as fast as she could to get away from the destruction.

How could this happen, she did not know why. Where was Henry now? Was he all right? Lily hoped with all her heart that her best friend had made it out alive. It began to rain. She was all alone. A pet rabbit on her own in the wild. It rained for three days. A car drove by on a road, splashing mud and water everywhere. The rabbit was covered head to toe in mud. She didn't know how to clean herself, only knew of bathing in Henry's bathtub would get rid of the mud, but there was no home for her. During those lonely three days, she traveled across fields, meadows, and marshlands. Lily often rested underneath a tree, a bush, or a corn field, crying as she wished for someone to find her and take her home, and to see Henry again. She ate the grass to satisfy her hunger, but it wasn't enough for her. Her body grew thinner and the bones began to show through her fur. She almost lost hope of giving up when she found the truck that could take her back home, but it left her behind and she found the billboard that read SANDLEFORD, and found the scent of rabbits close by.

"Lily, wake up!" Pipkin's voice echoed all around her.

The doe shot upward, eyes widened and breathing in and out heavily. Looking around, she realized where she was and remembered how she got here. She let out a relieved sigh, glad to be among friends.

Pipkin gazed up at her, worried. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"I-I'm fine," she replied, slightly stumbled by her memory.

"Right, let's be cunning and trick Man out with some lettuce," announced Bigwig.

The band crept downhill and approached the farm with caution. No sign of other rabbits living here, and thankfully no shining wires hidden in the bushes. But, two dogs were tired up to their dog houses just outside the farm house. One was a big Rottweiler and the other a large Labrador. Cat tracks engraved in the dirt, forcing Hazel to quietly warn everybody to be cautious. No one had to tip toe past the dogs to reach the flayrah stuffed in crates, thank goodness. The vegetable crates were located beyond the barn and out of human eyesight, some piled up on the others, a few were on the ground close enough for rabbits to reach in and scoop out whatever they could find to eat.

"It's so nice to eat flayrah close to the down rather than at Cowslip's warren," Strawberry said, with a cheeks stuffed with turnips.

"I agree." Blackberry nibbled on a cabbage leaf.

"This must be all the flayrah in the world!" Pipkin was enjoying his carrot for his late night supper.

"So, who's going to miss a few carrots, eh Pipkin?" Bigwig smiled, affectionately winking at him.

Whilst everybody ate the vegetables, Lily was eating a radish until she caught the whiff of a familiar scent. Her nose sniffed the ground, finding old pawprints of rabbit tracks in the grass, alongside human footprints, small human footprints that appeared to belong to a child.

"Farm rabbits!" she whispered.

"Did you say something?" Hazel questioned, approaching her with a lettuce leaf stuck to his tooth.

Lily began to giggle at this, until she noticed his hard expression that she quieted down. "Sorry, but you got something in your tooth. Second, I think there are farm rabbits here."

Raising an eyebrow, Hazel sniffed at the tracks but not before he removed the lettuce leaf from his buck tooth. "You're right. They could be hutch rabbits. But where are they?" he wondered.

The two rabbits followed the trail that lead them to the inside of the farm's supply shed. They saw cages, and inside of them was another rabbit, a female. The rabbit spotted their presence and looked up, surprised to see them. The rabbit herself had half brown-white fur and light blue eyes. She was indeed the loveliest doe who Hazel had ever met. Spellbound, he stared at her with a dreamy gaze in his green eyes. The white and brown rabbit gazed at him with her own dreamy smile.

"Hello, there." Lily interrupted the moment, introducing herself and Hazel to the hutch rabbit. "My name is Lily, and this is my friend, Hazel. What's your name?"

"My name is Clover," greeted the white and brown rabbit, politely. "Welcome to Nuthanger farm. Where do you come from?"

"Clover..." Hazel whispered, his eyes droopy and his smile looked quite silly when becoming smitten.

"Snap out of it, lover boy." Lily jokingly poked him on the arm, giggling.

Hazel briefly shot a hard frown at her, then he turned to his attention back to Clover to answer her question. "We came from Sandleford warren, but my friends and I left it to find a new home, at the down nearby. We do as we please. We eat grass or lie in the sun. Do you ever get out?"

"Oh, yes." Clover nodded. "Sometimes, a child takes us out in a pen on the grass."

"You have a human child, too?" Lily's eyes widen in astonishment.

"Yes, the little girl called Lucy," replied Clover. "Do you have a child who takes care of you?"

"I used to, a little boy named Henry. But, there was a fire and... I didn't see what happened to him..." Lily felt like she had found a true friend who could relate to being raised by humans, mostly by a child.

"I'm sorry. I hope he's alright." Clover gave her a sympathetic smile.

Hazel was uncomfortable about the two does bonding over being raised by human children, but he never spoke a word against it, to show no disrespect. At that moment, they heard an eerie hissing mixed with a growling. The rabbits cocked their ears up, alarmed.

"It's Tabitha!" gasped Clover.

"Who is Tabitha?" Hazel asked.

"The cat! You must get out of here, quickly!" Clover warned them.

"It was nice to meet you, Clover!" Lily said, before she hopped out of the shed to go find her friends.

"I hope to see you again, Clover," said Hazel, longingly.

No sooner had the two rabbits made it outside, they were halted in their tracks when Bigwig stood in front of them, frowning disapprovingly.

"What have you two been up to?!" he exclaimed, close to concern. "There's a cat about!"

"You didn't think we could hear the cat coming?" Lily glared.

"Let's not overstay our welcome then." Hazel immediately had everybody leave the crates of vegetables and rushed toward the exit.

However, Pipkin and Lily halted when they heard a familiar gull's voice shout, "Stinking cat! Get away from Kehaar!" Then came a agonizing cry from the gull.

"It's Kehaar!" Lily gasped, turning around to go back to help the seagull.

Pipkin noticed her turning back and followed her. They both stood outside the farm house doors, where a mouse rushed outside and bumped into Pipkin's tummy, bouncing back off and landed on the ground. The mouse had red colored fur with a white underbelly and a pink nose, but what really made her stand out was her eyes. Like Fiver, the mouse also has heterochromia iridium, her left eye a dirt brown color and her right eye a sky blue color. A piece of her right ear had been torn off, most likely received it from the cat a long time ago.

"Rabbits!" yelled the mouse, a female. "Run for your lives! The cat's got Kehaar!"

"Kehaar? The gull?" asked Pipkin, shocked.

"He's in trouble!" Lily said, worried.

Hearing their voices, Hazel and Bigwig paused, realizing to their horror that two of the most important members of their group were not among them.

"Pipkin, no!" cried Hazel.

"Oh, idiot hutch doe doesn't know when the running's good!" Bigwig yelled, irked as he turned around to go back for them.

From inside the barn, Lily and Pipkin and the mouse could hear Kehaar fighting off Tabitha the farm cat. The fight wasn't going too well as cats are more agile and fierce fighters. Kehaar let out a sharp cry when the cat tore into him with her claws and teeth, but the seagull bravely stood his ground. Tabitha, or sometimes called tab for short by her owners, is a gray tabby cat with bright yellow eyes and dark gray stripes smeared on her cheeks and forehead that ran down her back to her tail.

"Come on, cat! I show you how to fight!" Kehaar's voice shouted. "YEOOOCH!" he cried, as the cat gave him a harsh thrashing.

Lily had to shield Pipkin's eyes so he couldn't watch this violence. She wished she could do something to help him, but her prayers were answered when Hazel and Bigwig had found them.

"Get away from there, you lot!" Bigwig instantly placed himself between the door and his two closest friends protectively.

"It's Kehaar, he's in trouble!" Pipkin explained desperately, just before the two puzzled bucks could ask questions. "Lily and I met him in the bean field a few days ago. He's lost, just like us. We got to help him!"

"Against a cat?" Hawkbit doubted, as he and the others came over.

"All right," Hazel sighed, as he figured out an idea when he noticed a pile of flower pots just behind the cat as she scratched at Kehaar's wings and bit at his feet. "Wait, here." He instructed to Lily and Pipkin, as he and Bigwig crept inside the farm. Though Lily could barely hear what they were saying as she watched Hazel boldly shouting to get the cat's attention. The cat's head raised up and hissed dangerously at the intruder, leaving the badly wounded gull behind.

"You look hungry? Rats getting too clever, I suppose." Hazel teased, keeping a cool and calm poker face on as the deadly feline bared her fangs. "I bet you can't run at all. You pie-eyed, sauce-licking, scrap-scraper."

"So, who are you, rabbits?" the mouse asked. "And how do you know Kehaar?"

"I'm called Pipkin, and this is Lily," the young buck introduced himself and to Lily as she nodded politely. "We meet Kehaar a few days ago at a bean field."

"I'm called Hannah," the mouse introduced herself.

And then, their ears caught on to Hazel slyly insulting the cat as Bigwig started to shake the flower pots to make them wobble.

"Can you run?" Hazel asked.

"You'll see." The cat's feminine voice was downright creepy and a little seductive, causing Lily to feel a chill in her spine.

"I think not." Hazel grinned.

Suddenly, the tower of flower pots shook and began to topple over, right down toward a petrified cat. Tabitha dodged the smashing pots, but it had awoken the two dozing dogs and they began to bark maliciously when they saw the gang of rabbits at the farm. Their barking had woken up the humans inside the house when the lights turned on.

"I think we'd best get away from here!" Silver ordered, forcing the others to flee the farm yard.

"Come on, Kehaar!" Hannah desperately tried to get the gull to stand up and fly off, but the gull had taken a bad beating from the cat and didn't move an inch.

Luckily, Bigwig scooped the unconscious bird onto his back and carried him out of the farm shed. Hazel, Hannah, Lily and Pipkin ran after him as fast as they could go. As the cat recovered from the shock of the crash, she pursued the rabbits across the farm yard, until a child's voice rang out from the back door.

"What's all that racket?" It was the little girl, Lucy, whom Clover mentioned earlier. She noticed some of the rabbits escaping through the front gate, but surprisingly she didn't bother them. When she saw the cat chasing after them, she angrily chided, "Tab? TAB! LET THEM ALONE!" Tabitha stopped and turned to look at her, licking herself as the cat acted like she did nothing wrong. "Cruel thing!" sighed the little girl.

* * *

Meanwhile, when every rabbit and creature had escaped the farm, they had to catch their breath. Some of them stared at the unconscious gull as Blackberry examined his injuries, neither of them had ever seen a seagull up this close before. Lily glanced back at the farm as the humans came out to see what the matter is, being very thankful of the child's presence, otherwise the cat would have caught them.

"I've never seen a bird like this one before," said Bluebell.

"Do you think he's the same gull we saw flying a couple days ago?" Dandelion asked.

"All gulls look alike," replied Hawkbit.

"Is he alright?" Hannah asked, deeply concerned.

Blackberry put a paw on his chest to check for a pulse, and smiled. "He's still alive, thank Frith. His right wing is badly torn and his legs are no better either."

"Right, who are you and what are you doing with a gull?" Bigwig questioned the mouse, suspiciously.

"I'm Hannah," she replied. "I was helping Kehaar get some fish to eat from the cat's bowl. Until that damn cat jumped him, out of nowhere."

"YAAAAARRK!" Keehar screeched when he woke up.

The gull's screeches scared the shit out of Bigwig, who jumped and ran toward Lily and Pipkin as if trying to shield them. The gull made strange noises as he tried to stand up, but he fell back down on his stomach.

"Are you okay?" Hazel asked, calmly.

"You think me finished? You come kill me? I'm not finished, I hurt you like damn plenty! I get up plenty soon." Kehaar stared accusingly at the other rabbits, frowning suspiciously. He didn't see Lily and Pipkin, both whom Bigwig tried to protect, much to their dismay.

"We help you." Hazel approached him.

"PISS OFF!" Kehaar cussed. "What for help me?"

"Oh, brambles! Watch your language, gull! There's a kitten present!" Strawberry warned, angered. She didn't want Pipkin to hear such foul words.

"You're badly hurt. You need help," offered Hazel.

"Wing no good, but I walk plenty good." Kehaar stubbornly tried to walk, but he immediately collapsed. His injured leg prevented him from going on.

"Come on, let it alone." Silver tried to reason with Hazel, finding the gull to be ungrateful and rude.

"Is that how you show gratitude to the rabbits who saved your life?!" Lily growled, leaving Bigwig's side and approached the bird.

Upon recognizing Lily and then Pipkin who trotted beside her, Kehaar's dark face lit up. "Ahh! It is you, little bunny and lady rabbit." His eyes widen when he realized he just spoke a bad word in front of a little kitten. "Excuse language. I not know you mate with plump rabbit behind you, and these bunnies your friends."

"MATE?!" Lily knew the bird was referring to the offended Bigwig at what he was called.

"The name is Bigwig!" the lion maned rabbit grunted. "And you can count yourself lucky that I just saved your hide, otherwise you'd be dead already!"

"Calm down, Bigwig," Hazel said, placing a paw on his chest to stop him from starting a fight.

"Are you badly hurt, Kehaar?" Pipkin asked, gently.

"Not too bad," Kehaar spoke, though he flinched at the tremendous sting from his wounds. "Maybe not flies too good... for a while."

"You're not going to last long out in the autumn with a bad wing, Kehaar," Hannah warned.

Pipkin thought of how he could help Kehaar while his wounds were still fresh, until he got an idea. "Why don't you two come with us? We're going to the high hills over there!" he offered, kindly. "Fiver says it's safe there."

"No thanks. I walk good to-" Once again, Kehaar's injured leg made him collapse again. With no other choice and thinking over Pipkin's words, he asked, "Is long way?"

"Of course not," Lily responded.

"Now, hang on a minute," Bigwig objected, thinking bringing two creatures with them to the down was a bad idea.

"But he's a friend, Hazel." Pipkin pleaded, giving him the sad round eyes. "Let him stay, please."

"You let Strawberry come with us. And Kehaar is wounded, we can't just leave him on his own," Lily convinced, eagerly.

"We're all newcomers here, we need to help each other," Hazel stated, understanding that Lily and Pipkin were right. "I think Kehaar should come with us."

The other rabbits nodded in agreement.

Sighing at being outvoted, Bigwig announced as he caved in, "Right, let's get going."

And so, the entire group continued their journey to the high hills in the night. The moon was high up as they trailed through the field. They followed a path that lead through a small wood, until they reached the bottom of the down hill of the huge down before them.

"We going to have little rest or no?" asked Kehaar.

"How far is it to the top, Kehaar?" Hazel asked, as he and the others turned their heads to the bird.

"Not far if you fly, long walk if you walk," replied the gull.

No one objected the climb, as everyone seemed eager to get up the down. Everyone climbed up the steep hill, or rather hopped upward. A few of them paused to rest a few seconds before resuming the climb. By the time they reached the top, Lily made it to a embedded boulder on the ground to get a better view of their new home, and she was star struck by what she saw.

"Oh, my! Come and look, everybody!" she called.

The rabbits, Kehaar and Hannah included, made it to her side and their reactions were just the same as hers, admiring the grandest and most spectacular view no one had ever seen before in their lives.

"Oh, Frith on the hills! It's beautiful!" Strawberry praised.

"You can see the whole world from up here!" Dandelion exclaimed.

"We made it," Fiver sighed, relieved.

"There's great views all around, we'll be able to see any elil coming from miles away," Bigwig added, truly amazed.

Then everybody turned around to gaze at the tall tree surrounded by a few clusters of trees in a circle, judging by the size of its ground there was enough space for the rabbits to live in.

"This is where we'll start again," said Hazel.

"Yes, it's very good at flies," agreed Kehaar.

"It's called Watership Down," Hannah explained the name of the down.

"Watership Down..." Fiver was quietly thrilled at the name of their new place to live. "Home."

As everybody went to rest under the grove of trees, Lily lingered behind a little while longer. She had fallen in love with her new home, but she secretly worried about her old home and her old family. The doe knew Henry was alright because he was the last survivor and she hoped to find him, if she ever found him again. Hearing Bigwig beckoning her to come to join them for a good night's sleep, Lily quietly hopped over to them as she began to question whether she should return back to her old life with Henry in a new home or to stay here on Watership Down with her new friends. Those thoughts mused on her for while before she fell asleep right beside Bigwig and the other rabbits.


	8. Home on the Down

The mist had lifted and the morning sun had come to being a new day, except today was not a normal and regular morning in the forest, as four terrified rabbits came racing through the woods while running for their lives. An owl was in pursuit of the bucks, but they ran as fast as their powerful legs could take them. Their leader, a big pale grey buck, spotted a tree with a hole in the bottom, determined to take cover inside it. The owl got closer and closer, gaining up on the four rabbits. But they managed to dive inside the hole in time, just as the owl nearly got their leader, except it got a bunch of leaves from the tree and decided to give up the chase.

The pale grey buck stuck his head out to make sure the coast was clear. The owl had left, so he climbed out of the hole, catching his breath, exhausted and agitated. The pale grey buck was none other than Captain Holly of the Sandleford Owsla, or was now that Sandleford warren is no longer flourishing. The trio of rabbits kept silent as they waited until their leader assured them the coast is clear, being also inhabitants of Sandleford warren until its destruction. The first rabbit was just a tough study buck, his name is Buckthorn with coffee colored fur, almond brown eyes and a trainee who was going to join the Owsla. The second is a peanut butter colored rabbit named Speedwell with pale moody purple eyes that match the color of a speedwell plant. The last rabbit is called Acorn, obviously due to the colors of his fur resembling an acorn; dark brown fur with a creamy golden underbelly and orange eyes. Speedwell and Acorn are not just the closest of friends, they're a pair of thin-looking six month old bucks with the strained wary appearance of those only too well used to the thin end of the stick.

Making doubly sure that his comrades are safe, Holly kept his eye out for any more elil. The former Owsla captain and his allies were in terrible shape and badly injured; Holly's left ear torn and drooping, Buckthorn suffered a blow across his face along with a rat bite on his left hind leg, Speedwell had red marks left on his back, and Acorn's front chest caked in dried blood from an injury. All suffered plenty of scars engraved on their bodies, slightly maimed by a past traumatizing event, beaten and disoriented, but not broken by spirit as the team grew determined to find the fugitive rabbits who had fled Sandleford warren long ago.

"BIGWIG! HAZEL! WHERE ARE YOU?!" yelled Holly, no longer referring to himself as Captain.

"What if we cannot find them?" Acorn sighed. "Maybe Cowslip lied about their going to the high hills."

"No! We can't give up, we must go on!" urged Buckthorn, fueled by determination.

"I just hope we do find them before elil find us," worried Speedwell.

Holly sighed, licking his wounds delicately. He believed they would never find Bigwig or the others, or if they ever made it to these high hills that Cowslip mentioned, unless he lied just as Acorn suggested. But he is an Owsla captain. Holly would never give up, determined to find his friends, unless they wanted to call him an ally after how he mistreated them. If they are in the high hills, that's where they will go.

After sniffing the hear and listening for signs of elil, the former Owsla captain continued onward after signaling his friends to join him. "BIIIIIGWIIIIIG!" Holly's voice echoed all around him, desperately calling for his former officer.

* * *

_"BIIIIIGWIIIIIG!" _

Meanwhile on Watership Down, the day after last night ever since the rabbits had arrived, Fiver immediately woke up because of strange voice coming far away from the high hills. He looked around, wondering if who he believed to be had mysteriously come to the down was real or not.

"What is it, Fiver?" Hazel asked, waking up.

"Hearing someone calling Bigwig's name, reminded me of a dream I had of Captain Holly," Fiver explained, shivering. "He was trying to stop us from leaving Sandleford."

"That's all behind us now." Hazel comforted his younger brother. "We're safe here on Watership Down. And it's a beautiful morning."

That same owl from earlier screeched, causing the rabbits to wake up and flee for the safety beneath the trees. Thankfully, it did not come for them. Everyone sighed in relief, though Lily was relieved the most to have Bigwig standing over her form in a protective stand. Suddenly there came another screech, but it was much closer. The rabbits scurried, until they realized it was only Kehaar trying to imitate a rooster that calls in the morning.

"Morning, Kehaar," greeted Hannah, tired yet annoyed.

"Yah!" the seagull replied.

The other rabbits came out of the shade, very cross. Although, Lily found it amusing for a seagull trying to sound like a rooster.

"Are you off your rocker, screaming like that?!" Bigwig exclaimed, angrily.

"Kehaar say hello to morning," replied the gull. "Oh, you should hear the whole flock sing. Big music."

"Oh, is that what you call it?" Dandelion asked in a sarcastic tone.

"I said these two should clear off our down and I meant it!" Bigwig suggested, sharply.

"Be fair, Bigwig. His wing's hurt," Hazel reasoned, trying to be fair with Kehaar.

"That's not all that'll be hurt if he doesn't watch his beak," Hawkbit warned, frowning.

A irked Hannah approached the lion maned rabbit, saying, "What's the matter with the rabbits? Everybody likes gulls and mice."

"Not me." Bigwig fixed a hard stare looking down at her.

Lily just sighed, their first day in their new home and everybody is ganging up on poor Kehaar and poor Hannah. She liked the gull and the mouse, but the doe wondered how she could bring some sense of peace to everyone without starting a fight.

The rabbits began their usual morning routine of eating the silflay, relaxing, or exploring their surroundings. Lily decided to engage in good conversation with Hannah and Kehaar to get to know them better. In that moment, she noticed Blackberry examining the dirt scrapes where she discovered an opening inside.

"Everyone, over here!" Blackberry called out.

The other rabbits came over to see what discovery the blue doe had found.

"There were rabbits here once upon a time," she explained. "Long gone now."

Hazel sniffed the entrance of their soon to be new warren. "No smell of disease, or enemies and it smells safe."

Blackberry, Strawberry, Lily and Hannah ventured inside the opening. The roots were covered or smeared in dirt and the warren was small enough for a group of two of four rabbits.

"Is it good?" asked Hazel.

"It's very big," replied Hannah.

"There won't be enough for everyone to squeeze inside," said Lily. "Unless we all piled up on top of one another."

"Yeah, not anywhere near big enough, I'm afraid," Blackberry added, examining the walls. "It's in good shape. If everyone helps out with the digging, we're soon to have a home down here."

"Oh, brambles! That's an excellent idea!" Strawberry commended, excitedly.

However, the bucks waiting outside looked at each other and then frowned in refusal.

"By everyone, I assume she doesn't mean us," Hawkbit grumbled.

Bigwig sternly reminded the does out loud by the entrance, "Blackberry, in case you have forgotten - bucks don't dig!"

"Oh, here we go," despaired Blackberry, rolling her eyes.

"What's so good about bucks that they don't dig?" Hannah demanded, upset by Bigwig's comment.

"Doe rabbits dig," Blackberry replied.

"It's called sexism," Strawberry explained, rather dryly.

Lily decided to confront the other bucks as she ran out of the burrow and made it to the outside. "We could have a new home that's big enough for everyone, unless all of you offer a paw to help out the three does doing all the work!"

"She's right, be reasonable," Hazel agreed, willingly. "Lily, Strawberry and Blackberry are the only does. We can't expect them to dig the whole warren by themselves."

"Yeah, so?" Dandelion shrugged as he didn't seem to care.

"So, we're all going to pitch in," Hazel decided.

"Oh, I don't think so," Bigwig disagreed, scorning.

"I'm with Bigwig on this one," Silver grunting, as he took his side beside the lion headed buck. "There's no way I'm doing a doe's work."

"Same here!" Bluebell protested, joined by Hawkbit and Dandelion.

"Look, if we are going to survive up here, we need new ways of thinking," Hazel said.

"I've had my fill of new thinking, you've already got us living here with gulls and mice," Bigwig scowled.

Hannah had just come out of the burrow when she overheard what Bigwig said, and she was not pleased about it. "So mice are no good then, eh? You don't want my surrounds? Fine! I'm gone." The mouse ran off from the group, angrily.

"Oh, very nice, Bigwig," Fiver scolded, disappointedly. "Very thoughtful."

"Maybe I should take back my apology for calling you a bully!" Lily growled, once again tired of Bigwig's arrogance. "Because you are acting like one, and so is every buck present here... except Hazel, Fiver and Pipkin."

None of the bucks liked being insulted by a doe. Huffing, Bigwig turned and dashed off to be by himself. The rest of the bucks hopped off in the other direction.

"We've got to get everyone pulling together, or we're finished here." Hazel was disgusted by the others' refusal to cooperate in the digging.

"Maybe they just need new time to explore a new place," Fiver comforted his big brother.

"You might try leading by example, Hazel. The digging won't do itself," advised Blackberry, as she went back inside while Fiver left.

Shaking her head with a sigh, Lily returned to the burrow to start the digging, with the help and assistance from Blackberry and Strawberry. As the does started to dig at the walls of the warren, the does began to chatter amongst how irritating bucks can be.

"Ugh! Who does that Bigwig think he is, anyway?" scoffed Lily, then started to mock him. "Oooh, look at me! I'm Bigwig! I'm so big and strong, I don't like to get my paws dirty because I'm such a girly little buck!" Blackberry and Strawberry burst out laughing at the ginger doe's imitation of Bigwig. "Hey, Strawberry, what is sexism?" she asked.

"It means prejudice, discrimination or stereotype against females," Strawberry explained.

"It's always been that kind of tradition amongst rabbits," Blackberry added. "But Hazel is right, we need all the help we can get."

Lily nodded, then thought about two other friends she worried for. "I do hope Kehaar and Hannah stay here, despite Bigwig's objection. I like having them around."

"So do I," agreed Strawberry. "Those bucks have no respect for newcomers... especially against me." The red doe lowered her head and her ears dropped, sadly.

"It will take time for everyone to get used to having you around," Blackberry assured her. "I know I like you, and so does Lily." As the blue doe placed a comforting paw on her shoulder, Strawberry smiled at her.

One of their stomachs began to rumble, catching them off guard as they stopped their digging.

"Oh, brambles! I hadn't had much to eat at silflay." Strawberry blushed, embarrassed.

"How about I go out and gather some silflay for us to eat?" Lily suggested. "I'll be right back."

Strawberry and Blackberry agreed, resuming the digging as Lily trotted out of the burrow and into the outside world. She just happened to overhear Kehaar coughing and spitting out grass he was trying to eat, then chatting with Pipkin about something that has to do with grubs.

Giggling, Lily resumed her chore of bringing food back to Strawberry and Blackberry. It was difficult to carry a bunch of grass in her mouth as they kept slipping out, but then she noticed a raspberry bush nearby and placed them in a pile as a treat for her girlfriends. Her ears pricked up when she overheard Hannah grumbling and pouting all by herself.

"Who needs mice? I know who needs mice, everybody needs mice," Hannah complained, still fuming over Bigwig's insult.

"Poor Hannah." Lily would have gone over to talk with her, until she heard a mysterious voice calling far away in the distance of the high hills.

_"Bigwig!"_

"Who said that?" Lily asked, her head whirled left to right, searching for the owner of the voice. She waited for a few seconds, waiting for that someone or something to come out, but nothing happened. Brushing it off, she bent down to pick up the raspberries when...

_"Bigwig!"_

There it is again. Concerned, Lily wondered whoever or whatever it could be, and how it knew Bigwig.

_"Bigwig! Where are you?!"_

As she listened carefully, the voice sounded quite familiar. Lily thought over where she heard it before, and Sandleford appeared in her mind. "Captain Holly?" she said, remembering there was only one rabbit who owned that voice, but why should the Owsla captain come here, until she remembered his threat of when he sees Bigwig again, Captain Holly might kill him.

"What are you standing around for?! GET DOWN!" Hannah shouted, catching Lily off guard as the mouse pounced on her chest and the impact knocked the doe on her back.

"Hannah, what's going on?" asked Lily.

Hannah pointed out toward the long grass where a big weasel was approaching the down as he sniffed the air, his mouth drooling when he caught the scent of rabbits close by. Lily's eyes widened, she had never seen a weasel before nor did she ever want to get eaten by one. And she realized the weasel had discovered Pipkin's presence, as the young buck had found grubs for Kehaar by a log. He had gone tharn when not only did the kitten hear the mysterious voice, but the weasel's breath touched his neck.

"Get Hazel, quickly!" Lily ordered, as she bounded off to rescue Pipkin.

Hannah didn't need to hesitate by an order, and she dashed off to alert the others, shouting, "Rabbits!"

When the paralyzed Pipkin quivered before the hungry predator, the weasel sneered, "Welcome back to hunting ground, Long Ears." His lips and sharp teeth covered in drool.

Pipkin shielded himself and shut his eyes, preparing for the worst to come.

"Leave him alone, you swine!" Lily fearlessly charged at the weasel, only to halt when the weasel turned and glared his sinister greedy eyes at the doe. Her courage replaced by fear, having gone tharn.

"Delicious long ear," said the weasel, in a sadistic voice.

All of a sudden, Bigwig appeared out of nowhere and head-butted the weasel with one mighty pounce. The weasel got back on his feet and prepared to attack Bigwig, until Silver and Hawkbit took turns to head-butt the weasel fiercely. Just as the weasel was going to fight back, then Bigwig tackled him again and forced him tumbling down the hill. Not entirely giving up, the weasel slunk away back to the woods.

"Are you alright?" Bigwig asked, giving Lily and Pipkin a concerned frown.

"Yes." Lily nodded, looking equally shaken about the weasel encounter as much as poor Pipkin was shaken.

Once Pipkin explained why he had gone out was to search for grubs for Kehaar to eat because he asked him to, Bigwig realized that it was Kehaar's doing that nearly got Pipkin and Lily killed by the weasel. Nobody had ever seen him so angry before, except that time at Cowslip's warren.

"What do you use for a brain?" Hawkbit chided at the gull when everyone confronted him.

"Sending Pipkin off on his own like that! You nearly got him and Lily killed with your selfishness!" yelled Bigwig.

Kehaar hung his head apologetically and said, "Kehaar, stupid gull. Kehaar, sorry."

But Bigwig rejected to accept the apology, still replaying the images in his mind how the doe of his dreams and the poor little kitten almost got eaten by a predator that neither of them had the time to run away. "The sooner your gone, the better!" he exclaimed, bitterly.

Pipkin gasped, he didn't want the mouse and the gull to leave the down, and neither does Lily.

"There's no point making Kehaar feel worse than he does," said Hazel, hoping to calm the situation.

"You can't blame Kehaar for what happened!" Lily protested, but Bigwig put a paw on her mouth to silence her and his expression stone cold.

"I told you rabbits weren't meant to mix with gulls and mice, didn't I?" Bigwig was more arrogant than ever.

"And who warned us about Pipkin? Hannah, a mouse. Without her, they'd be gone. And Lily told Hannah to warn us," Hazel pointed out, trying to force Bigwig to listen to him.

"Well..." Bigwig tried come up with a reason to use Hannah as a scapegoat, but he secretly knew Hazel was right on that one thing. But he continued to put the blame game on Kehaar. He gave a stern expression as he shouted, "it's that gull's fault they were out there!"

"And now we know there's a weasel on the down, that's what we should be worrying about," argued Hazel.

Every other rabbit separated to go back to their daily routines, except for Pipkin, Lily and Bigwig.

"Right, here's the lecture for both of you: don't go off on your own anymore, lecture's over," Bigwig lectured, sternly. As he finished, he looked at the ginger doe. He hopped away to patrol the down.

Lily noticed little Pipkin was shaking, and she probably believed he was traumatized by the weasel attack. She consoled him by giving him a hug, saying, "Cheer up, Pipkin. The weasel is gone. Why don't you go eat silflay for while?"

Pipkin silently nodded, but his shaking prevented him speaking. Lily left to go help in the digging, but passed Bigwig on the way and gestured for him to go talk to Pipkin, noticing the shaken kitten glancing over his shoulder warily. The buck understood and turned back to reassure the little rabbit.

"Oh, here now." Bigwig softly consoled him. "No point in letting a rotten old weasel shake you up."

"It's more than that, Bigwig," Pipkin explained. "I heard a voice in the wind, calling your name."

"There's no other rabbits around here but us," added Bigwig, raising an eyebrow.

"I know, but what if it was the... the Black Rabbit of Inle!"

Those words left Bigwig in a dreadful shock, but he kept his poker face on as he consoled, "If he's looking for me, he knows where to find me." Then he left with a false grin on his face. If the Black Rabbit is coming for him, than Bigwig should expect him to come. But there was one problem: Lily. How could he break the news to his precious doe? How could he bare to leave Lily so easily like this? He never had the chance to tell her how much he loved her. If he was going to let the Black Rabbit take him, Bigwig knew that he had to confess to Lily about his true feelings, when the timing was right.

* * *

Meanwhile at the lake, Holly, Buckthorn, Acorn and Speedwell had swam across to reach the other side. Luckily, it never lasted long when they succeeded in crossing the lake. The four bucks collapsed on shore to catch their breath. Then Holly noticed a bunch of rabbit pawprints left engraved in the dirt and sniffed them. His face lit up upon recognizing the scent.

"It's Hazel and Bigwig! They came this way!" Holly exclaimed. His discovery put a spark of life in their spirits as they stood back up.

"Now we're getting somewhere!" Buckthorn said, gleefully.

The four rabbits traveled a little further onward, where they stood on a hilltop and found Watership Down, admiring the scenery for a moment.

"If Bigwig and the others are up those hills, there's only one way to find out." Holly tread down the hill, racing toward the high hills.

* * *

Back at Watership Down, the rabbits were silflaying although Pipkin stayed closer with the group, afraid to be attacked by the weasel again. Blackberry, Strawberry and Lily were still digging deep inside the scrape, creating a tunnel that lead to the burrow they discovered earlier. Kehaar kept his distance, feeling badly about endangering Lily and Pipkin's life.

Bigwig had gotten scared due to what Pipkin had told him, as he was spooked by even the tiniest thing, demonstrated when he was given a fright by a bug flying out of the grass. His ears cocked when he heard Lily come out of the burrow to shake the dirt off her fur. Bigwig's heart gave a flutter as his gazed lingered at her shaking off the dirt from her beautiful, smooth, silky ginger and white fur. How Bigwig wished that he could touch her fur with his tongue to give her grooming whenever he wanted, then to feel her tongue on his fur when he wanted a grooming.

"What's up your nose, Bigwig?" Hawkbit asked, curiously staring at the lion maned buck's weird expression.

"Eh..." Bigwig's thoughts broken by another's voice, nervously embarrassed over what Hawkbit might think if he knew. "Just trying to stay alert, somebody got to, you know. Dangerous."

"Yes, but apart from that, we're really starting to enjoy it here," Dandelion sighed, contently.

"Once the does are done digging us a nice cozy burrow, the happier I'll be," Hawkbit commented.

Lily, Strawberry and Blackberry stuck their heads of the half finished tunnel, they had quite enough of the bucks' laziness. Shaking the dirt off their bodies, they emerged from the tunnel for a confrontation.

"Things would go a lot faster if everybody helped, I'd enjoy that. Really, I would!" Blackberry scorned.

"And on top of that, there's a weasel about and the sooner we get everyone underground, the better!" Strawberry had not felt this angry since her former warren forbade her from saving Nildro-hain's life.

"You're absolutely right, Strawberry," Hazel agreed, taking their side to the relief of the does.

"If you want to work like a doe, Hazel, that's fine. But we have our pride." Hawkbit continued chewing on grass, ignoring the does' protests.

"You should be ashamed of your arrogant pride and selfishness!" reprimanded Lily.

"I think all of you better get digging!" Hazel ordered, using anger to his advantage.

But the stubborn bucks wouldn't budge, refusing to cooperate.

"Oh, you do?" Bigwig questioned, having quite enough as he confronted this bossy rabbit.

"You heard me!" commanded Hazel, the tone of his voice rising.

"And who's gonna make me?!" shouted Bigwig, his eyes ablaze with anger.

The two bucks stood up on their hind legs, putting up their paws and looking ready to start a brawl over leadership, growling viciously. Lily gasped, frightened over what is about to happen. Even Pipkin trembled fearfully.

"STOP!" Fiver leapt himself between the two taller bucks, just as they were about to jump at one another. "There's no point in fighting."

"Shows what you know," Hawkbit mumbled, sarcastically.

"There are other ways to settle things," advised Fiver.

"Such as what? What can we do?" asked Lily, eager to stop a fight.

"Well, Bob-Stones!" Fiver suggested, as his ears went straight up at the solution. "We'll play a game. If I win, everyone has to help out with the digging."

"And if Bigwig wins?" Bluebell slyly grinned.

Fiver looked to his big brother for the lost bet, so Hazel said decidedly for him, "If he wins, you can all lie on the grass for the rest of your lives."

"You have a deal!" Bigwig smugly accepted the challenge. "It's only fair to warn you, I was Bob-Stone champion at Sandleford three seasons running!" he gloated and pointed to himself.

Gasping in horror, Fiver had no idea that he'll be against a champion. "Oh, I didn't know that."

Blackberry placed a confident paw on the runt's shoulder, assuring, "Don't worry, Fiver. You got this."

* * *

Later in the afternoon, Fiver and Bigwig had their match of Bob-Stone started, their paws at a 2-2 tie. Hazel told Lily about how the game works, sort of like a guessing game for a rabbit to guess which stone is hidden underneath which paw. If their guess is correct, they win, or if their guess is incorrect, they lose. Two groups of rabbits had taken sides; in Bigwig's group, there is Hawkbit, Dandelion, Silver, and Bluebell, and in Fiver's group, there is Hazel, Blackberry, Strawberry, Pipkin, and Lily.

"Bob-Stone guess," signaled Fiver.

That meant it was Bigwig's turn to choose. The lion maned buck came closer to the runt, attempting to scare him. However, Fiver managed to keep a straight poker face. He won't let Bigwig bully him anymore, not since all they had been through.

"Oh, oh, come on, Biggie. I know you can do it," Dandelion cheered him on.

"Kick his tail bottom, Biggie boy!" Silver encouraged.

Bigwig thought deeply as he guessed, "Bob-Stone guess is... one."

Smiling, Fiver lifted his paw one at a time to reveal which stone was hidden. Bigwig felt he was confident to win, but Fiver's second paw reveals the stone. He was surprised to see he had picked the wrong paw.

"Bad luck, bad luck. Come on, come on. I've seen you play better. Come on," Hawkbit coached.

"You can do it, mate!" Bluebell coaxed.

The anticipation was mounting. It was now Bigwig's turn to signal Fiver to turn around as he prepared to rearrange the stones underneath his paws.

"Guess this right and you win," said Pipkin.

"You can do it, Fiver!" Strawberry encouraged.

"Bob-Stone guess." Bigwig was ready to see Fiver lose this challenge.

Fiver kept his poker face on, then he guessed, "Bob-Stone guess is two."

Shocked, Bigwig's mouth hung open as he revealed two stones underneath both his paws. Fiver's group cheered victoriously for his winning the game. Bigwig's group scowled in defeat.

Kehaar burst out laughing and pointed his wing out that a impetuous champion like Bigwig was defeated by a runt. "Now you boys get to dig like does!" he taunted, reminding them of the deal they made if they lost the game.

Bigwig cleared his throat and he glared daggers at the seagull, silencing the laughter. "If you don't click that beak, I'll kick you off the down whether that wing works or not!" he warned, threateningly.

"Leave Kehaar alone! You're not a bunny rabbit, you're a bully rabbit!" An angry Hannah stood up to lion headed buck.

"I thought you were leaving," Bigwig added, sharply glaring down at her.

"I was, till I saw you rabbits needed my help, hairy head!" Hannah made fun of Bigwig's mane and fur on his head, hands firmly on her hips.

"Bigwig, it's just a game," Lily interrupted, pushing herself between the buck and the mouse in hopes to reason with him. "You lost, but it doesn't matter. You're going to help us dig a burrow that will be big enough for all of us that will keep everyone warm from the winter and safe from the elil. Please, do this for me." She pleaded, urging him to cooperate in the digging.

Listening to her words, Bigwig thought back to one of the most important codes in the Owsla. Even if you don't win, the Owsla has to accept defeat, whether it was fair or not. He hated digging, but he never wanted to push her away again. The Black Rabbit of Inle is coming for him, and he would spend his last moments defending his beloved and the warren from the weasel. Finally, he relented, "All right."

"You cheated, didn't you?" Hawkbit accused. "Didn't you? Hmmm? Those visionary powers of yours, you didn't even guess!" He stood at full height as if to intimidate Fiver.

"First, you don't believe I have visions, now I'm using them to cheat, make up your mind, will you?" Fiver snapped.

"Hey, enough of that!" Bigwig came right between them. "I lost. An Owsla's honor is that I accept that," he scolded Hawkbit, until he shot Fiver a dirty look. "Whether it was fair or not." He cast one last soft begrudging glance at Lily before he hopped off, later joined by the other bucks.

"Well, at least we won," said Blackberry.

"Did we?" Hazel sighed, doubt flooded him like a river as he lay down in the grass.

His group returned to the burrow, only Lily and Hannah lingered behind to give Hazel a little pep talk.

"Things have been a bit rough on the first day on the down, aren't there?" Hannah said, kindly.

"I do hope everyone calms down after this is over," added Lily.

"We won't survive, if we keep fighting among ourselves," Hazel told them, sighing. "Hannah, I don't know how I can bring us together."

"That's the problem with two leaders," Hannah said. "There can only be one leader."

"Maybe we should make Bigwig the Captain of an Owsla on the down," Lily suggested, and it sounded like a good idea.

"I know, and you may be right, Lily. But I guess my job's over. I got us safely to Watership Down, maybe it's time for Bigwig to take over." Hazel looked away, thinking about giving up position as leader and passing it down to Bigwig to avoid more tension.

"No, you are the leader!" Lily and Hannah shouted in union, for they would not hear of such a thing.

"You're not listening!" Hazel objected.

"I'm listening fine. You lead them to Watership Down, that makes you leader, fineto!" Hannah chided.

"Listen, Hazel," Lily advised, sternly. "During our travels, you have shown true leadership qualities. Bigwig is strong, impetuous and can be quite the bully, but he I have seen a heart of gold beneath his hard exterior. And he's better off an Owsla officer. He has more experience in the Owsla, so perhaps Bigwig can be named Captain of their Owsla. You're the one who got us through a perilous journey, kept everyone calm during deadly situations, and you think outside the box to try new ideas. That makes you the leader, Hazel-rah!"

Hazel gawked in disbelief, but Lily felt she made her point to him while returning to the burrow. Hannah smiled impressively at the doe's words.

* * *

Night had fallen on the down as every rabbit slept peacefully beneath the trees. The bucks had to assist in digging in the burrows, though neither enjoyed every single moment of it. Bigwig only did it to make Lily happy, and to obey the Owsla code. Lily snuggled beside Bigwig, although wishing she could sleep with the does and Pipkin once in a while, but he felt so soft and warm. She kept hearing Captain Holly's voice ringing in her ears in the middle of the night, _"Biiigwiiig! Where are you?!" _Her eyes fluttered open when she heard his voice, wondering if it was only a dream or if it was real.

"WEASEL!" Kehaar screeched, flapping his wings wildly.

The alarm woke up everyone and the first thing the rabbits saw is the weasel ready to pounce from the bushes. With a roar, Bigwig charged at the weasel, using his strength to tackle him down. They rolled across the grass until they stopped. Hazel, Silver, Hawkbit, Dandelion and Bluebell ganged up around the weasel, surrounding him and outnumbering him. The weasel knew he couldn't stand a chance against six rabbits, so he retreated back to the woods below.

"Fall back to the burrow!" Bigwig ordered, as he and the others stepped back together with their eyes still focused on the woods to make sure the weasel didn't try anything reckless.

The rabbits retreated to get inside the burrow, though Lily shivered upon hearing the weasel's dark threat, "One by one, I will get you, Long Ears. One by one." His cackle echoed in the darkness.

Because of the weasel's attack, it made everyone more anxious to keep digging to make the burrow a whole lot bigger the next morning. The rabbits worked quicker than ever. Then Hawkbit tripped and fell on Bigwig, startling him.

"Watch it, clumsy!" exclaimed Bigwig, as he pushed Hawkbit back.

Dandelion was busy digging until Bluebell accidently threw some dirt in his face, shouting, "Oye! Do you mind?"

"Sorry about that," apologized Bluebell.

Bigwig had gotten tired of digging and he wanted so badly to stop, despite Lily's advice. "We should figure out how to deal with that weasel instead of doing doe's work!" he complained.

"No use arguing if you want a bigger warren to protect us from the weasel!" Strawberry scolded, as she dug harder and faster than the rest of them altogether, determined to prove herself worthy to the bucks.

"Strawberry, slow down!" Hazel cautioned as he realized the red doe had dug too fast as it made the ceiling crumble.

Suddenly the roof became to crumble and cave in. Eventually, the roof subsided and collapsed as the dirt fell all around them. When the dust cleared, every rabbit's head popped out from the large pile of dirt.

"Oh, nice work, Strawberry," chided Bigwig.

"Everyone alright?" Blackberry asked, worriedly.

Groaning, Hawkbit groaned and scratched his ear to knock out some of the bit of dirt and dust that got in his ears. "All accounted for. Have we done anything yet?" he answered.

"We're all right here," reported Silver.

Strawberry pointed to the ceiling and the entire warren in amazement, and Blackberry followed her gaze to what she saw. The two does exchanged proud grins at the work their employers had done.

"Actually, you haven't done bad at all," Blackberry praised. "Especially you, Strawberry."

Strawberry smiled, looking quite pleased with herself. The rabbits stared at their surroundings. At first, it had been a small burrow, until the cave in as a result of their extreme digging created more room to make a burrow big enough for every rabbit to stay in. The roots of the tree kept the ground, or rather ceiling, from collapsing on them.

"It was a little burrow, now it's a great big one!" cheered Pipkin.

"And the roots hold up the ceiling, looks like a..." Fiver added, looking at the roots.

"Like a honeycomb!" Strawberry chirped, creating the name.

"Then that's what we'll call this chamber: the Honeycomb!" Blackberry agreed on the given name for the warren.

"Once we get it cleared out, there'll be enough room for everyone," announced Hazel.

"Even Kehaar?" Hannah added, hopefully.

"Not likely," refused Hawkbit, as he and Bigwig stared angrily at her.

"I think Kehaar would like it down here as much as I do," Lily agreed to the mouse's decision to allow the seagull to live in their burrow."

"Come look at this," Pipkin called out for everyone's attention, upon finding a small rocky passage in the wall that lead underground. "Do you think it goes somewhere?"

"Let's see." Hazel poked his head inside the hole. "Hello!" he called, his echo responding to him, and then backed out of the hole. "It's narrow and rocky, and from the echo it goes on forever. Also smelling fresh air coming out of it."

"So it must come out somewhere," said Fiver.

"Well, I heard stories. My uncle says that he's been to the underworld twice, goes to the far side of down, it's true," Hannah explained.

"Not much use to us if you can't turn round in it." Dandelion studied the small passageway.

"It might do us a lot of good," said Hazel, coming up with an idea to solve their weasel problem. "I think I know how to tackle that weasel."

The daytime sun had come up earlier as everybody regrouped outside the burrow to listen Hazel's plan to trick the weasel, whilst Kehaar stood guard to make sure the weasel wasn't nearby.

"If we can get the weasel down that rock tunnel, we could seal it behind him," Hazel proposed.

"Yeah, and he'll come up somewhere far away hopefully never to return," Bigwig agreed, though sarcastically. "But how do we get him in, ask nicely?"

"Maybe invite him over for silflay at suppertime," Bluebell joked, only to be lightly smacked on the back of his head by Silver.

"This is no time for jokes!" scolded Silver.

"I'll get him to chase me. You'll be waiting outside ready to rush in and seal off the rock tunnel," answered Hazel, though he knew the possible risk and Fiver might lose his older brother.

"I think someone should point out the obvious flaw, you'll be sealed in there too, Hazel," Hawkbit pointed out the obvious, slightly concerned.

"I know, if I don't do it the weasel will get us sooner or later," Hazel assured, calmly. "There's no choice."

"But will we do without you?" Lily asked, saddened at the thought of losing their leader.

Silence fell among the group, as the risk of losing Hazel to the weasel was unbearable to them, especially for Fiver and Pipkin as both rabbits lowered their ears in deep melancholy sadness. It became obvious who the leader of this warren is, and everyone remembered Hazel's courage and level-headed personality that kept everyone together during their adventures to find the high hills.

"Let me do it, Hazel," Bigwig volunteered, having made up a decision as he cast a hurt frown at the surprised Lily.

"Look-" Hazel tried to refuse, but he got turned down.

"No listen, the Black Rabbit of Inle is coming. I heard him calling my name," Bigwig admitted.

A chorus of gasps escaped the mouths of the rabbits, like a bolt from the blue. No one was stupefied the most than Lily.

"But the Black Rabbit of Inle only takes the old and sick with him, to the land beyond life, it's got to be a mistake," Dandelion said, hopefully.

"I don't believe he makes mistakes." Bigwig shook his head, certain that Pipkin was the key for evidence. "Pipkin heard him too."

"Please, tell me you're not joking," Lily said to the young buck, though sounded unconvinced.

"He called... 'Bigwig... Bigwig...'," Pipkin did an impersonation of the Black Rabbit, putting his paws in the air to sound intimidating.

"Right, they get the idea." Bigwig made him stop by placing a paw on Pipkin's shoulder. "The point is when the Black Rabbit comes to carry you off to the land beyond life, you go."

"Why didn't you tell us about this?!" exclaimed Lily, her voice breaking. She couldn't bare to lose him, not again. "I don't want you to go! Please, don't go!" she pleaded, desperately.

"I didn't want to worry you... I'm sorry..." Bigwig hesitated, taken aback by Lily's tears. He was afraid she would react like this when she found out his time had come. He hated watching her cry and it broke his heart to see her like this. Then he began addressing Hazel, "Look Hazel, we've had our differences, but none of us would be here without you," he admitted. "If Watership Down is going to survive, they need you, Hazel, with all those new ideas of yours. Let me do this last thing for everyone."

Hazel nodded, solemnly and silently.

Noticing Lily's eyes flooded by tears, Bigwig attempted to reach out for her, but she tore away from the group and ran off to sit by the embedded boulder, where she began to weep. Bigwig sighed, wishing he had told her sooner. He could see Hazel ushering him to go talk to her, but first Bigwig needed to do some things first.

"Hawkbit, Bluebell, Pipkin, over there, the rest of you hide behind the tall grass behind the tree," ordered Bigwig, then he turned to the gull. He knew he behaved poorly to the bird, but he had a job for him and he felt like making amends to him. "Kehaar..." But he got cut off when the gull threw his wings around him and gave him a big hug.

"For you, I do anything Mr. Pigvig, hero bunny, most brave rabbit," Kehaar praised, as if ready to cry any moment.

Not one to get emotional, Bigwig sarcastically pushed the bird away since the hug felt weird. "Yeah, alright. That's nice. Thank you. When the weasel goes after me, sound the alarm."

"Raah! Like this?" Kehaar demonstrated, and Bigwig nodded approvingly.

Hannah emerged from the burrow, she wanted to speak to Hazel about another discovery. "Come inside. I want to show you something."

While Hazel went inside the burrow, Bigwig came over to the sullen Lily on the embedded boulder. He could still hear her crying, her face buried in her paws as she lay belly flat on the rock. Sighing, he reached over to place his paw on her back. His touch startled her and she looked up, her cheeks wet and her expression cross.

"What do you want now?" she asked, bitterly.

"Lily, I'm sorry I couldn't confide in you about what's going to happen to me. I never meant to hurt you this way," Bigwig apologized, feeling guilty for causing her this much grief. "I know you've suffered enough after losing your farm and you may not know a lot about living in the wild, but I've seen how you've matured these last few days. You saved us from the Owsla, you saved Dandelion's life, and you saved my life in Cowslip's warren. That makes you a strong, smart and compassionate, doe. You will get on without me. I know you will." He gave her a genuine smile as he placed his paw tenderly over her own. And then, he leaned in close enough to wipe the tears off her cheeks with his tongue, then started to groom her face with deep affection. Oh, how he longed to do this for her. Her fur was just as smooth as he hoped it would be.

Mildly surprised by this gesture, Lily felt her bitterness melting away and the warmth of his tongue on her cheeks and forehead sent shivers tingling down her spine. It had never felt so sweet and so soft to her. She pressed her head against his mane to snuggle against him. His mane felt soft and much warmer than his tongue.

Bigwig knew the time had come to profess his love for her, although he never had experience of confessing his love to a doe since his time in the Owsla had hardened his heart, but his heart was not entirely made of stone when it comes to Pipkin, and then came Lily, who broke the barrier around his heart so he could find love. "Lily, I lo-"

"Getting cozy, are you?" Bluebell's voice teased from behind them.

Lily and Bigwig leapt up, half frightened by this sudden interruption. Their friends were smirking at what could have been the most romantic moment to have ever witnessed. Bigwig grunted, furious to have his private moment ruined. Lily's cheeks turned a shade of red, embarrassed at what the rabbits could have seen.

"If either of you mentioned this again..." Bigwig was ready to send a warning threat to them, but he didn't have the heart to do it. "Well, that's all then, no questions?" he simply asked.

"Umm, we decided that I say a few words," Hawkbit began, his smirk turned into a dismal frown. "It's been an honor to know you and-"

"Look, your a good bunch and you'll all get on without me, now let's get at it," Bigwig interrupted, wrapping up his plan of the heroic sacrifice.

"It's okay, Bigwig, you don't have to," Hannah's voice cut the mood, sounding much happier about something.

"Hannah's going to lead the weasel into the rock tunnel!" Hazel explained.

"What? Really?" Lily's features lit up, perhaps there is a slight chance that Bigwig will not have to meet the Black Rabbit today as her tail wagged excitedly.

"I beg your pardon?" Bigwig didn't understand if this was a joke or not.

"There's a tiny escape hole, just the right size for Hannah, it leads to the back of the burrow," added Hazel.

"And you said mice were no good," Hannah recalled the lion maned buck's insult, rubbing it in his face that mice can be useful after all.

"Yeah, all well and good, but I'm not letting a mouse do a rabbit's job," rejected Bigwig.

"Now, be sensible, Bigwig," Fiver attempted to reason with him to no avail.

"The Black Rabbit's coming for me." Bigwig shook his head, stubbornly intent to give him his life for the Black Rabbit. "I'm going, and that is that!" He cast a sad smile at Lily, before turning back to Hazel. "But, take care of Lily for me." Then he started to hop away.

However, Hazel wasn't hearing any of it, he would not let Bigwig throw his life away for no reason. "Grab him," he commanded.

At this order, every buck surrounded the large lion headed buck, ganging up on him in a circle.

"You wouldn't dare," Bigwig warned, and he tried to leave.

Soon everyone piled up on top of him to the ground, preventing him from leaving the down. Lily and the does giggled in amusement.

"You just said Hazel was leader, best we follow his commands, don't you think?" Hawkbit teased, his body on top of the lion buck's head.

"All right, all right!" Bigwig annoyingly gave up.

"And you should have seen him giving Lily a grooming," Bluebell added, grinning like a clown. "She was nuzzling him and he gave her a lot of licking for-"

"When I get up, the first thing I'm going to do is to rip off your ears if you mention it!" Bigwig warned, ready to give the blue buck a thrashing if he exposed his intimacy with Lily.

"Shutting up," Bluebell mumbled, not wanting to get on Bigwig's bad side.

* * *

Tonight was the time for the plan to act. The agitated Hannah waited by the entrance of the burrow, but the weasel didn't wait long to show up as he was determined to catch the rabbits for a meal. The feisty mouse kept shouting, "Smelly breath!" to get his attention. The weasel gave chase as he followed the mouse into the hole. The other rabbits waited quietly in the grass so the weasel can't see them. Kehaar gave the signal and every rabbit rose out from the grass and ran inside the burrow. Hannah continued to taunt the weasel to lead him inside. The snarling beast crawled inside the rocky tunnel, as the scared Hannah ducked into the small hole she had found earlier to escape. As the smirking weasel cornered her, he heard a strange noise and looked back. Everything turned dark as the rabbits worked together to push the boulder to cover the entrance so the weasel can never come out, even though the weasel would eventually find his own way out in the tunnel.

Hannah emerged from the hole in the wall, panting, "Oh, pretty scary, eh?"

"Oh, you were wonderful, Hannah!" Hazel praised, impressively.

"Thank Frith, you're safe!" Lily sighed in relief, giving the mouse a big hug that would have suffocated the mouse so she had to let her go.

"Yeah, I suppose mice and gulls aren't completely useless after all," Bigwig admitted, apologetically.

"Praise indeed, that's the best we're gonna get from you, eh Bigwig?" teased Hannah, as the lion buck stares at her in embarrassment.

Everyone went outside to celebrate their victory over an elil, some of them admiring the moon and the stars up in the sky.

"Easy as acorns," said Hazel.

Bluebell decided to celebrate by attempting to kiss Blackberry, much to her disgust.

"Stop trying to kiss me! That is not a thing we do!" Blackberry swatted him in the face again.

Just then, the mysterious voice called out from within the darkness. "Bigwig! Where are you?" It sounded closer than ever. Birds flew off from the trees where the origin of the voice sounded off.

All heads whirled around to gaze in the direction of where the haunting voice came from, trembling in fear. However, Lily could tell the voice sounded very familiar. If it is Captain Holly, she would be glad that Bigwig doesn't have to give up his life to him, yet who knows how Captain Holly would react upon finding them, probably vengeful toward them for escaping Sandleford and humiliating his Owsla at the river.

"It's the Black Rabbit of Inle!" Hawkbit shivered, spooked by the voice and hid behind Silver for cover.

Bigwig knew his time had come, bravely standing up on his four legs and ready to go accept his death. "I'll uh... I'll have to go now." Looking down at Pipkin, he said softly, "Be good, Pipkin. Lily will take care of you."

"I won't let you go!" Lily protested, blocking his path.

"I don't have a choice!" Bigwig tried to run toward the voice, but the doe would not budge an inch.

"And I don't believe it is the Black Rabbit!" she retorted. "I suspect that it must be someone we know who has followed us to the down!"

Voices murmured among themselves, wondering if the ginger doe is right or wrong. But no one dared to stop Bigwig from rushing off to meet the Black Rabbit. However, Lily would not let that stop her as she dashed off downhill to confront this stranger.

"No, get back! If you look on the face of the Black Rabbit, he'll take you too!" Bigwig warned, despaired at her recklessness.

"If it is him, I won't let you face him alone!" Lily stated, and then tore across downhill to find the strangers, ignoring the pleas of Bigwig and the others.

Positioning herself in front of the dark wood where the voice sounded closer, Lily prepared to attack whoever it is or if it really is Captain Holly, she will be ready to fight, despite never having to fight another rabbit before.

"Zorn... Oh, Zorn!" the voice groaned, wailing as if in extreme pain. "All dead! Ohhh, Zorrrn!"

It sounded like Captain Holly all right, but quite unrecognizable. Whatever zorn means, Lily believed he wanted her friends dead as revenge for their escape. She got into pouncing position, resembling a cat when ready to attack as she remained hidden in the tall grass. As she watched, Lily saw a rabbit limping slowly as he come out of the bushes. It was so dark that she couldn't make out who they are. Then a very familair pale grey rabbit covered in scars and wounds stepped into the light of the moon, and Lily couldn't believe her eyes when she recognized the pale grey rabbit.

"CAPTAIN HOLLY?!" Her suspicions were correct, but Lily had never expected to find him such a horrid state.

"Lily... is that you?" Holly groaned, before he collapsed from exhaustion and surprised to find the farm doe there.

Before long, three more rabbits came limping out of the shadows. Though Lily had never met Buckthorn, Acorn and Speedwell before, their appearances, Holly's included, shot a bullet of horror in her heart. Never had she seen such a group of maimed rabbits looking so miserable and weak and emotionally broken. Whatever resentment she held toward Holly was gone, replaced by sympathy and concern for the former Owsla captain and his companions.

"By Frith, it's Captain Holly!" Hazel exclaimed in recognition. "And he's brought Speedwell, Acorn and Buckthorn!"

Hazel and everybody else, including Kehaar and Hannah, had come downhill to try and stop Lily from committing a possible suicide if confronting the Black Rabbit. Their reactions were in shock upon recognizing the disheveled rabbits. Bigwig had wanted to stop her from facing off the Black Rabbit and scream at the top of his lungs at how much he loved Lily, but seeing his former captain in such a mess, he was secretly relieved not to blurt it out in front of everybody, it would've saved him the embarrassment.

"Bigwig!" Holly cried, as the lion buck rushed to his side. "We found you!" He grasped his paw, relieved to see him in person. "We've been searching for you... for days."

"It's all right, Holly, you're safe now... you're safe with us," Bigwig soothingly comforted the poor grey rabbit as he smiled. "And I see you brought Acorn, Speedwell and Buckthorn with you."

"They're badly hurt, look at their wounds!" Pipkin pointed out the newcomer's scars.

When Holly noticed Fiver approaching, he limped toward the runt, sadly regretting the day he denied his visions, speaking, "I remember you... you're the one who saw it coming."

"But, what happened?" asked Fiver, puzzled.

"Sandleford... it's gone," Holly explained. "It's all gone."

Everyone gasped softly, just as Fiver had predicted in his dreams.

"Did anyone else get out?" inquired Fiver, hopefully.

"No, everybody is dead... killed by Man..." Holly added, mournfully.

Lily covered her mouth with her paws, horrified.

"Fiver, you were right about everything," Holly breathed. "You knew the story before it was even told. We should have left, when we had the chance."

The entire group looked at Fiver in recognition, as the runt was shocked while he cried, "I saw it all in my head, I saw the fear and death, but part of me hoped I was wrong! Sandleford's gone and we're all alone! What do we do, Hazel?"

"What our ancestors did before us. We go on, Fiver," Hazel replied, boldly.

"What is everybody standing around for?" Hannah shouted. "Let's get them to the Honeycomb and fix them up!"

The band of rabbits worked together to help carry Holly, Buckthorn, Acorn and Speedwell back to their warren, and in no time reached their warren for safety.

"There's something else," Holly added, his voice shaken. "You're not safe here... no one is."

Everybody stared at him for a moment, not knowing what he meant. But whatever it is, it cannot be good. Even Lily assumed it must be something bigger than elil or humans.

* * *

Far away from Watership Down, an abandoned smoking stack chimney connected to an old fallen tree revealing an opening to a burrow. Rabbits stronger than any Owsla buck and bigger than Cowslip's rabbits. These bucks shouting abuse at the whimpering and begging does, though some of them were unfairly punished by beatings or biting. One officer buck passed through a cave beneath the tree, rushing through one tunnel to the next, passing crowded burrows of imprisoned unfortunate does, entering the ruins of the chimney. He reached the final burrow on the left, where the biggest and most giant buck rabbit hid in the shadows.

"Sir, the wide patrol picked up the scent of a large band of rabbits in the country," the Owsla officer reported, "Unfortunately, sir, we lost them."

The giant rabbit lifted his head and spoke in a deep raspy voice, "Tell them not to return until they're located." He turned his head toward the officer, revealing his left eye blind from a life long wound, a scar as white as the moon. "Leave one alive for questioning."


	9. Captain Holly's story & the Efrafans

Ever since last night's appalling discovery of the survival of Captain Holly and Buckthorn and Acorn and Speedwell, along with the devastating news of Sandleford's destruction, the rabbits didn't get much sleep last night, thinking of their lost former friends and relatives dying at the hands of humans. Holly refused to speak of the events of that day so to save everyone the trouble of nightmares, though he received flashes of horrid memories from the Sandleford's massacre that made him quiver and mutter in his sleep. Once or twice, Holly woke up with a cry, alerting Bigwig or Hazel to try and calm him down. In the end, Pipkin decided to sleep beside the former Owsla captain to give him comfort. The young buck's company made Holly sleep better during the night.

The next morning, Lily and Blackberry and Strawberry used their skills as healers to care for the brave survivors' injuries, except the scars would never leave them. As the does took care of the wounded bucks, they told the bucks of their adventures when they left Sandleford. The four bucks had become aquatinted with Strawberry when Blackberry introduced her, though they grew saddened by Violet's death when she told them the reason of her absence. After recovering from their wounds, Buckthorn and Acorn and Speedwell began exploring their new home, fascinated by the view. Holly spent most of his time at a small stream all by himself. Some of the rabbits wanted to talk to him, but Hazel told them to give Holly some time alone considering what had happened.

During that morning, the rabbits continued digging inside the burrow to enlarge it for plenty of room. Memories of their old home shared among them, also realizing they will have to carry on like their ancestors did before them. Of course, Lily remembered the loss of her home at Ridgeway farm and the deaths of Henry's parents, but she held on to that small hope of Henry still alive and wondering where she is clung to her soul, crying out for her to go find him and never leave his side again. But how will that effect everyone on the down if she left them, especially Bigwig, the buck whom she had grown to care deeply for and had developed feelings for him.

"I can't believe Sandleford is gone." Bluebell paused, thinking about their former warren.

"Yeah, Fiver was right after all," Silver agreed, as he thought about his late uncle, the Threarah, and their last communication made him regret it. "I wish my uncle and I had never fought."

Bluebell placed a paw of solace on Silver's shoulder, giving him a sad smile.

"Bucks don't dig! We can't dig!" Bigwig complained, as a small part of the wall fell without creating any more space for more rabbits to live in. "Look at this scrape, for Frith's sake! It looks like it was dug by a moon-crazed badger!"

"Oh! Could you just-" Hawkbit got dirty as a result of Dandelion digging too fast and dust sprinkled on the grey buck. "Could you be... look at what you're doing!" He tried to tell him, but Dandelion continued on, ignoring him. "Oye! Uh, will you cut it out?" Fed up, Hawkbit pounced on Dandelion and started to fight him.

"STOP! You two, stop!" Blackberry rushed in to break up the fight, like a mother ending a fight between two sons. "Digging a new warren is hard enough, without us fighting!"

"I know we need to be safe from elil or whatever Holly mentioned about something else that is not safe of us," added Bigwig, "but bucks can't dig. We need more does!"

"Isn't that sexism?" Lily questioned, feeling offended. "Do you always have to mention does to do all the work around here?"

"No, not just for digging," Fiver explained to her. "Providers, mothers, mates, diggers, and companions. They're essential for our lives." He turned to Hazel, keeping patient as he dug. "You say this is home now, but without does, it can never be so. They'd bring us balance and a reason for living."

Lily was amazed at the specialty of does to be a part of the bucks' lives, although she wasn't thrilled at the idea of reproducing but kept silent over it. The memory of the night at Nuthanger farm and a familiar doe flashed through her mind. "Well the bright side is... there was at least one doe in the hutch on the farm down below."

"Was there? I don't remember." Hazel stammered, as his cheeks became as red as tomatoes.

"Don't remember?" Bluebell smirked as he nuzzled him on the cheek, mentioning how Lily told him about Hazel's first conversation with Clover. "You were staring into her eyes like they were filled with carrots. I remember."

"Ooooh, Mr. Hazel has found himself a girl!" Kehaar chortled, devouring some worms close by.

"So, what's the doe's name?" asked Hannah.

"Uhhh…" Hazel pretended not to remember.

"Her name is Clover!" Lily exclaimed, earning her a reprimanding scowl from Hazel.

"You've been holding on us, have you, Hazel?" Bigwig grinned in a teasing manner, before he came up with an idea. "Yes... that's it! What about the farm? If there is one doe, there could be more of them."

"No! Nobody goes back to the farm!" Holly's sharp voice rung out like nails on a chalk board, catching everybody's attention in alarm. "Nobody goes near the humans!" That hard look in eyes told all everyone there was something in the tone of his voice that didn't sound good.

"Holly is right," Hazel agreed after thinking it over, back to resume digging. "Nobody goes back to the farm."

"No one said anything about humans," Strawberry pointed out. "Bigwig only meant springing the does from Nuthanger farm."

Scowling, Bigwig approached the agitated Hazel and anxious Holly. "We are eleven bucks, three does, and one kitten. If that balance isn't addressed, there will be fighting among us! There will be blood spilled." The lion buck fixed a hard glare at Hazel. "As leader, that blood will pool at your feet. If we just raid the farm, we can avoid all that by freeing the does there."

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Holly exploded at his former officer, emotion filled his voice. "No one goes back to that farm! No one goes near the humans!"

"Captain Holly-" Bigwig tried to protest, taken aback.

"Wait, does this have something to do with Sandleford?" Lily questioned, concerned by Holly's behavior and figured out the rest.

Everyone had gone immediately silent as they all stared at Holly, who hung his head and closed his eyes as if he withheld a dark secret.

"I suppose this means you're ready to tell us your story?" asked Hazel.

The rabbits, including Kehaar and Hannah, crowded around to listen. Everyone was anxious to hear the details of how Fiver's vision of the apocalypse of their old warren had come true. Buckthorn, Acorn and Speedwell rejoined once they learned their captain was going to explain the details of their adventures, hoping to fill in some blanks he couldn't finish.

Holly sighed, signaling he was ready. "The night you left Sandleford, the Owsla turned out to search for you. We scouted for you in the woods as you recalled. We decided to wait until tomorrow to arrest you at daybreak, but you remember we lost you across the river. The Threarah decided there was no point in risking lives by trying to follow you further. The next day, it began..." he hesitated, "our warren, destroyed."

"Destroyed? How?" questioned Silver.

Holly quivered as the grim memories flashed through his eyes. "Men came with great hrududil to the field... they filled in the burrows with spades... couldn't get out." Men used their shovels to fill in the rabbit holes. Visions of rabbits crammed into the tunnels clawing at each other, trying to get out of the tunnels that only narrow and spiral into dead ends haunted the pale grey buck. "They put in these long winding things that are like links of bramble, pushed them down a few open holes. There was a strange sound... hissing... the air turned bad." The glowing red eyes of rabbits rolled in the back of their heads as they either went insane or just died. "Runs blocked with dead bodies... rabbits scrambling to get out only turned on themselves and tore each other to pieces... everything turned mad... any rabbit who made up into the field was shot and their bodies were put on sticks... that is what happened to the Threarah and Foxglove." Giant paws of the hrududil buried itself into the earth to dig up all in its path. "Their hrududil rolled into the field, with these huge massive paws. It buried themselves in the ground. Warren, herbs, roots, grass and bushes, all pushed into the earth by the great hrududil."

Images flashed through Holly's mind as he recalled the warren's ceiling crumbling and the screams of rabbits in despair. He raced off to find any rabbit in distress in attempt to help them. The Owsla Captain managed to find anyone he could find and tried to lead them to an open burrow to escape, one of them including Dewdrop. Scabious had gone mad due to the poisoned air, before he climbed out of an open hole, only to get shot by a Man's rifle. Holly decided to find a different way out. Some frightened rabbits knocked Holly down, where he found himself face to face with a dead Toadflax, his eyes bloodshot and his mouth open in a frigid stare that implanted horror inside Holly's heart. Getting back up, Holly took the lead and brought everyone, and Dewdrop, to a dead end. As a loud thunderous noise and a cloud of dirt was approaching, the frantic rabbits started desperately to dig a way out. Holly was trampled and stumbled on as he tried to calm everyone down, but it was too late. The claw of an excavator broke the earth and scooped them up, dropping them into a waiting truck, but a mildly weak Holly crawled out. The truck was showered by dirt and dead rabbits, though a mortified Holly managed to make a run for it, found by Buckthorn, Speedwell, Acorn and Pimpernel (who is a scarlet colored and brown eyed buck) as the group used the cloud of dust and dirt to make their escape across the field and hid themselves behind the wired fence, all watching sadly as the humans and their machines destroyed everything and everyone they ever knew.

Back to the present, all eyes were filled with grief and horror by the grim details of Sandleford laid to waste. It struck a cold frost into the heart of every rabbit, or gull and mouse, who hears it. Bewildered, Lily went tharn, unable to speak or move as she was forced to listen to this horrid tale.

"Man have always hated us," Blackberry scorned.

"No, they just destroyed the warren because we were in their way," Holly explained, sourly. "They killed everyone to suite themselves. Evil comes from Man, who will never rest until they spoiled the earth," he sighed. "In the end, my injuries were sustained not at the hands of humans, but at the claws of my friends and family, desperately trying to escape."

"Why would the humans do that?" Lily was distraught, the only words she managed to speak.

"As I said before, I heard one Man speak that we were in their way," Holly continued. "All I know is that where there are humans, there is death. We must stay clear of them at all costs!" he warned.

Lily knew that not all humans bring death, like Henry and his parents, but to hear of the cruelty and power humanity held over massacring the Sandleford rabbits, brought a sense of guilt for what humanity can do to the animal kingdom.

"Shall I continue, Hazel-rah?" Holly asked, and his leader nodded. "I don't know how, but my friends and I managed to dig our way out near the green slip. I remembered you all left the warren, and I decided to find you. We tracked the lot of you, across the river... a road... through fields... a meadow... a chapel, where rats attacked us and Buckthorn got bitten... and marshland. Through day and night... rain or shine... that we kept track of you. We took shelter in a scrape in a ditch where your scent was found. Pimpernel grew sick because he inhaled the poisoned air underground. The next morning, we were surrounded by great big rabbits with an odd smell. Their leader's name is Cowslip."

The other rabbits murmured in disgust at the mere mention of that rabbit's name, as Pipkin told him, "We know him."

"Anyway, Cowslip greeted us in a suspicious attitude," Holly continued. "I told him that we were looking for you and when I mentioned of your names, Cowslip immediately ordered his rabbits to tear us to pieces. We fought our best. They ripped my ear, but Pimpernel was caught in snare when he tried to run. We tried to save him, but he died instantly because he was too weak. Cowslip boasted its in Frith's will that Pimpernel dies. I had never felt such rage before in my life when I saw Pimpernel die and Cowslip proclaimed it's in his will, it made me sick. I overpowered Cowslip and threatened to kill him if he didn't call off his rabbits and if he didn't tell me where you lot had gone to. Cowslip is a poor fighter, so he told me you were going to the high hills. I warned Cowslip that if he ever tried to follow us, I would tear out his throat."

"I'm ashamed of them," Strawberry sobbed, appalled by her former's warren's murderous deed.

Holly stared at the red doe, puzzled.

"Strawberry joined us from Cowslip's warren," Pipkin explained. "Her mate, Nildro-hain, was killed by the shining wire. They don't want to make friends with her at Cowslip's warren in case they get snared. Their warren is a terrible cult who worships death and relies on the Man who snares them in return for food and protection."

Holly nodded, and gave Strawberry his condolences. "Well, it was the day after escaping Cowslip, I thought we found you, only to find this young dark rabbit that was torn in the ears, claws and bite marks all over him. He thought we were hurt by the Efrafans. Then he told us to run for it before the Efrafans come for us. I don't know what happened to him, but I hoped he made it out safely to wherever he had gone."

"Who are these Efrafans?" questioned Dandelion.

"I don't know, but judging by his description, they're probably dangerous," Holly guessed. "We tried to find you. We wandered for days, nearly caught by an owl, swam across a lake, haunted by the ghosts of those I'd seen killed... Dewdrop... Scabious... Toadflax... Threarah... Foxglove... Pimpernel... There is hardly a living creature that has been closer to the Black Rabbit of Inle and lived, other than myself. I wanted to find you and to tell you I was wrong for trying to arrest you," the Owsla Captain apologized. "The rabbit who tried to arrest you was not me, it was someone else." He finished his tale, announcing he had become a changed rabbit and everyone willingly accepted him and his comrades as part of their warren.

"Either way, Holly is right," Hazel finally spoke. "No one goes back to the farm or risk being killed by humans."

Most of the rabbits agreed, except Bigwig who didn't like this plan at all.

"Hazel, weren't you listening to me?!" he protested. "We need more does for our warren, or else blood will be spilled!"

"**NO! NOBODY GOES BACK TO THE FARM! NO ONE GOES NEAR THE HUMANS AND _THAT_ IS AN ORDER!**" Hazel bellowed, seemingly frightening everybody around him. Calming himself down, Hazel announced, "Everybody take a ten minute break from digging."

Much to the bucks' relief, they instantly rushed off to silflay or to engage in a tail tag game. Lily decided to keep her distance under the trees, thinking about what Holly just told them. How can humans be so cruel to rabbits? She was raised by such a loving human family and they never treated her badly. What could possess humans to cause pain and suffering to animals? The doe remembered Holly's words _They just destroyed the warren because we were in their way_ and she remembered the billboard at Sandleford. Maybe that is why their old warren had been destroyed, to create a human warren for themselves. If only people like Henry were out there preventing humans from spreading destruction to the animal kingdom and build their human warren someplace else.

"I, uh, spotted some sow thistle over by the woods earlier," Lily overheard Hawkbit trying to ask Strawberry out on a date, "I wondered if you wanted to go with me and silflay for a little while later on."

"Hawkbit, you're so sweet." Strawberry giggled like a school girl before she left to get some grubs for Kehaar.

"Oh, remember what I said about Dandelion!" the grey buck added.

No sooner the red doe had left, a not too happy Dandelion approached Hawkbit as he growled, "Someone told Strawberry I had the white blindness and I think it was you."

Standing his ground and staring calmly at the yellow buck, Hawkbit knew he was on to him, but he replied, "Prove it." He picked some worms and bounded off, then Dandelion trailed after him.

"It looks like Strawberry is being courted by those lot already," Bigwig chuckled, approaching the startled Lily, then he eyed the two bucks with a stern frown. "But I fear a fight will happen sooner than we think, which is the main reason why we must raid the farm and free Clover or any doe who wishes to leave."

Lily sighed, watching the two bucks bicker over the same doe. "You're right. Hazel might have to reconsider his decision, but who knows what Captain Holly will say. He seemed determined to avoid going to the farm. After what happened to Sandleford, can you blame him?"

Bigwig nodded, and then kindly placed a few golden dandelion flowers in front of her paws. Lily didn't know how to respond, surprised by his friendly gesture.

"I thought you might be hungry," Bigwig said, bowing his head politely.

However, Lily wasn't in the mood to eat as she pushed the gold flowers away, turning her face away from him to hide the tears threatening to burst. "Bigwig, why do humans hate us?! Why do they do such bad things to hurt us?! What did we ever do to them?!" she cried.

Bigwig sighed at the ginger doe's questioning humanity's nature. "Because humans are barbarians. They are the elil of all elil."

"Not _all_ of them! Remember how I kept telling you about Henry?" Lily exclaimed, on the verge of tears. She poured her feelings and the details of her own past out to him. "That child is an angel who adores animals! His parents are just as sweet as he is! And now, his parents get burned or impaled by their own house after a fire starts! Henry risks his life to save mine to get me out of the house, firemen arrive to put out the fire and rescue him, and I don't know if Henry is still alive or not! I strongly believe that Henry is still alive and waiting for me to come back for him!"

Bigwig gasped, solemnly. He stared at her for a minute. If she believed her human still needs her, he might lose her if she left him. "So... you're thinking about going back to that human child?"

"I... I don't know... I just..." Lily stuttered.

Bigwig approached her comfortingly, determined to change her mind. "Lily..."

All of a sudden, grunts and yelling erupted from beyond the trees, catching Lily and Bigwig's attention. Finding the source of the noises, there stood Hawkbit and Dandelion fighting each other in a vicious rivalry over Strawberry. Some of the rabbits watched in concern, others rooted for one of them to win the combat.

"It's your fault for trying to steal Strawberry! I know you told her lies about me!" shouted Dandelion.

"She's mine! You'll just have to find your own doe!" retorted Hawkbit.

The two bucks left red claw marks on their faces or bodies, glaring daggers at each other, determined to prove which one of them is a suitable mate for Strawberry. Before they could make a final charge to mortally wound the other, Bigwig threw himself between the two rivals, breaking up the fight.

"You two, stop!" Strawberry exclaimed.

"You'll pay for that, Dandelion!" spat Hawkbit.

"**THAT IS ENOUGH!**" Holly entered the clearing, putting himself between the two rivals as long as Bigwig was at his side, resuming his intimidating authority figure like he was back in Sandleford. "I should have you lot put away in a hole where neither of you will cause trouble! If you cause another scene, I will leave you outside the warren for elil food!" he bellowed, his eyes hardening like the soul behind them.

Dandelion and Hawkbit backed away in a few steps, visibly frightened by Holly's threat, but neither of them took their eyes off one another.

"Those two will never compete over to get the doe they wanted," Bigwig sighed.

"This is absurd! Why don't they just find their own does?" Lily questioned.

"Well lass, every buck will try to compete over their best choice of doe, though I doubt one of them will succeed," Bigwig stated.

Lily shook her head in disappointment.

"Don't worry, I've always seen Hawkbit making most failed attempts than Dandelion," Bigwig assured her. "However, they'll find does who are right for them." As if his mood swings took control, Bigwig turned on Hazel and exclaimed, "I warned you there'd be fighting, and mark my words, without more does, this is the beginning of it!"

Hazel glanced at the two jealous bucks trying to court Strawberry for themselves, as the doe herself looked worried. Blackberry, Bluebell, Buckthorn and Silver helped to keep Dandelion and Hawkbit apart as they tried to force them to go their separate ways. He remembered Holly's tragic story of their former warren's massacre, but Hazel realized that he had no choice. Bigwig was right. "Fiver, Pipkin, and Bigwig, we leave for the farm at sunset. The rest of you stay here. I don't want to risk all of us."

Everyone stared at him in disbelief, not sure if they heard Hazel right, after he made it clear nobody is to go to the farm.

"Are you serious?!" Holly exclaimed, horrified. "You cannot go to the farm, there are humans down there!"

"We understand why you don't want us to, but if that's what it takes to find does," Hazel reasoned, "it will help end more brawls between Hawkbit and Dandelion, or anyone else present."

"You know damn well the humans will kill us if we set foot in their farm!" Holly scoffed, a growl erupted from his throat. "You're aware of what they've done to Sandleford!"

"Yes, you told us." Lily decided to try to make Holly see sense of her point of view on humans to ease his nerves. "I know that not all humans are bad. Such as Henry and his family. They have treated me kindly."

But Holly shook his head in disapproval. "I have to disagree... I've seen humans do horrible, cruel, despicable things to the rabbits in Sandleford before! Even a young boy throws stones at rabbits!"

"Henry would never do anything like this!" Lily protested, outraged by his opinion of humans, even the good ones.

"Perhaps you should be considered a human, than a rabbit! You're a traitor to rabbits everywhere, you Black Hufsa!" Holly insulted, standing his hind legs to give him strength to shove her to the ground.

"HOLLY!" Bigwig shouted, infuriated by his former captain's mistreatment toward his doe. Although, he wished Lily would end her fondness for humans despite what they have done to Sandleford.

Shocked by Holly's actions, Lily felt so hurt that she started to tear up. She noticed every rabbit staring at her with odd or disgusted scowls because of her defending humans, after all the suffering they had done to Sandleford. Holly didn't understand, these wild rabbits don't understand, and neither did Bigwig by the looks of it. "You should never have come here! **YOU SHOULD HAVE _PERISHED_ AT SANDLEFORD!**" she hollered. And with that, Lily took off down hill. She never looked back, nor did she want to.

Hazel tried to stop her, but he directed his anger at Holly first. "Now see what you have done, Holly!" he scolded.

"Let her go!" Holly stated, arrogantly. "If she wants to live among humans, than leave her!"

"Maybe she needs time to calm down," Blackberry added, softly.

"Oh, I'm gonna tear you're ears off until you're deaf, you hraka Hufsa!" Bigwig cursed, readying himself into a fighting position. He couldn't believe Holly would lash out or attack a doe like that, especially Lily. He wanted to teach Holly a lesson he will never forget.

"Thlayli!" Holly warned, but this time he was not afraid of his former officer as he stood his ground.

Murmurs in the crowd started like a tidal wave of another brawl beginning as Bigwig and Holly growled, prepared to attack as they stood on their hind legs and paws extended sharp claws. Hazel wanted to rush in intervene, but Kehaar instantly did it for him as the gull squawked louder than a hawk.

"**YOU STUPID BUNNIES!**" Kehaar reprimanded at Bigwig and Holly, then at every other buck present. "You got no mates! You fight over one doe? Plenty trouble for you!" His wing brushed against Bigwig's face, who wiped his nose irately. "You need MATES! You go to farm, you get jumped by cat or mauled by dog!" It turns out that Kehaar and Hannah had put their heads together and came up with an idea to fix the rabbits' dilemma. "You got no brains! You no plan! You need mate for plan! Listen, I got plan for you." He displayed his wing, which no longer hurt him. "Wing better, I go fly, fly for you; I find mates."

None of the rabbits objected, although Bigwig's pressuring Hazel to raid the farm for the hutch does reached to an agreement, Hazel thought it over and decided to give Kehaar the benefit of a doubt.

"What a splendid idea, Kehaar!" Hazel praised. "How clever of you think it, you very fine bird."

"Don't get him too caught up in his birdbrain," Bigwig warned, finding the idea to be absurd. "You just agreed to-"

"Let's give Kehaar a chance," Hazel advised. "This plan could work. When will you be able to fly?"

"I fly, anytime." Kehaar walked to an opening in the field, but as Pipkin curiously approached him, the gull waved his wings at him to force the kitten back. "Stand back. I need room." He cleaned his wings and made sure they were in perfect condition. "Wings good... feathers clean..." He dramatically waved his wings in the air, "I soar! I glide! I circle..."

"Don't overdo it, Kehaar!" Hannah chided, climbing up on the gull's back like a pilot taking control of the gull's neck feathers. "We have takeoff! Clear the area!" she ordered.

Pipkin dove for cover as the seagull took off down the clearing and leapt off the ground, taking flight with Hannah on his back. All of the rabbits watched in awe at the gull's amazing takeoff and flying skills.

"See you later, bunnies!" shouted Kehaar, disappearing behind the clouds.

"Right, while they scour the country, we should continue digging," Hazel decided, as everybody else, minus Holly and Fiver and Bluebell, hopped back inside the warren.

The rabbits and the high hills were out of sight as the seagull glided across fields, meadows, the farmlands, and a railroad track. Hannah admired the view from above with astounishment. She spread her arms out as if she were flying, feeling the wind in her fur and whiskers, and inhaling that cool fresh air.

After a while, Kehaar spotted the deadly warren of Efrafa, but it didn't look so bad from a bird's point of view. However, he noticed plenty of does down below in front of a giant fallen tree. More does were found by the old towers, though if both bird and mouse had watched, they would have seen a doe swatted in the face by an Efrafan officer. The does had been escorted back inside the huge warren by the bucks, after noticing a strange gull in the sky and felt it was a threat to the warren. And if either of them had noticed, Lily raced through the wood at high speed, heading in the direction of what used to be Ridgeway farm, only it was nothing but a pile of black and charred wood.

"It looks like we found what we're looking for!" Hannah said, pleased at their success, now she wanted to go back to Watership Down and report to Hazel. "C'mon, let's get back to the down."

Suddenly, the gull cried out in pain and made a crooked side turn, nearly causing Hannah to fall off his back had she not kept a firm grasp on his feathers.

"Ooh... Ah... my wing!" cried Kehaar. "It starting to hurt again!"

"Oh, crap! Hurry up and land, we're almost there!" Hannah directed him to make a sharp turn where she found Watership Down just ahead of them.

"If I ever get my beak on that damn cat, I'll rip her dirty, rotten ears off!" Kehaar screamed like any gull would as he made a crash landing at the same clearing he took off from on the high hills.

Hannah tumbled off his back and plopped head first in a pile of dandelion puffs, giving her a softer landing. Blackberry, Fiver and Bluebell were chewing out Holly for his harsh judgement toward Lily when they shot their heads up in alarm, only to sigh in relief that it was only Kehaar and Hannah back from their flight. Holly just shook his head at the bird's clumsiness and turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" Blackberry demanded.

"There is nothing else to discuss!" Holly rebuked, sharply. "Why does she care for humans?"

"That is how Lily was raised, but that doesn't make her a traitor!" Fiver scorned, rushing in front of him to get in his face. "Everyone here on the down respects her because she proved herself multiple times! She and Violet were the ones who sent you rolling on a log to keep you off our trail! Lily was the one who risked her life to save Dandelion from the corvil! And she risked everything to save Bigwig from the shining wire! Does THAT tell you she's a traitor to rabbits everywhere?!"

Holly stopped, his eyes widened. The pale grey buck stared at him in a moment of silence. He shut his eyes and brushed past Fiver, exhaling.

"Hey, guys!" the seagull stood up, despite cringing in pain of his wing, caught up to the three bucks to report his discovery. "Stop, guys, come here! Come here, come here, come on, come on, listen! Listen to me, listen to me, right. Wait, stop right there. Listen, you won't need to fight anymore because there is a warren away to the east of here. A two days journey from here. It's got a load of does."

"Does? Did he say something about does?" Bluebell's face lit up in delight.

Learning of the gull's report, Holly instantly turned to gaze at the horizon at the same direction where Kehaar and Hannah came from, it was east and a two days journey from here.

Blackberry could see the stern and thoughtful frown on the former captain's expression. "I hope you're not thinking what I think you're thinking."

"We should leave for the warren Kehaar speaks of at first light," Holly came with up an idea to venture out to this strange warren to request for does. "If there are does there, we have to see if they will join us."

Suddenly, Fiver had gone beyond when his visions took over his mind. Flashes of images of Lily cornered by tall, vicious, menacing bucks at an abandoned farm, where the farm house and the barn once stood had been destroyed to a pile of black and charred wood. His body shivered and his eyes shut tight. Lily did not stay at the down to have time alone, she had run away because of Holly's accusations and back to the farm where she grew up in, except she had unknowingly placed herself in danger.

"Are you alright, Fiver?" Holly asked, noticing the runt's behavior.

"I'm fine, it's just..." Fiver wanted to tell them of his vision, but he for some reason he couldn't get the words out of his mouth, so he shook his head silently.

"Hey, anybody going to ask if I'm alright?" Hannah complained, crawling off the pillow of dandelion puffs.

* * *

Several minutes later, Holly, Blackberry and Fiver had decided to go on their journey to this mystery warren in the east. Neither of them had told Hazel their plan, since it was no point in Holly trying to change his mind about the raid on the Nuthanger farm, but he made sure Kehaar rested his wing and Hannah to take care of him. Bluebell was supposed to stay behind, but eventually he became a part of their group.

"I'm sure Hazel said that we should stay back at the Down, didn't he?" Bluebell wondered. "Remember, Fiver? Will Hazel be mad when he finds out we left? Fiver?"

"I don't know!" Fiver irately gave his answer.

"Well, when will you be back? Shall I wait up for you?"

"No."

"Will you promise you'll find somewhere safe to sleep? Make sure you find somewhere safe to sleep."

"Bluebell, be quiet!" Blackberry snapped. "You've rabbited on so much that we've gone too far for you to go back now, anyway."

Bluebell paused, regretting how far he wandered off from the high hills. "Oh no, this is a mistake. I've gone on an adventure by mistake." But as he thought it over, his eyes lit up at the idea of meeting such gorgeous does. "I wonder how many does will be at this place."

"If you're coming along, you can't be making jokes at inappropriate times," warned Blackberry.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you have a tendency to be a liability."

"How dare you call me a liability! I never even wanted to come along!" Bluebell decided to change the subject. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Holly?"

"From what the bird said, it sounds like this warren has too many does," Holly responded. "We'll just let them know that any who want to leave are welcome to join us, and there we go."

After hopping for several miles through the wood and the fields, the sun began to set and the sky was covered in multiple colors of pink, blue and orange. It would have been nice to stop and watch the sunset, but there was no time.

Holly pointed out as he paused, "There's the belt of woods Kehaar mentioned. We're halfway there. We'll stop here for the night."

"All right, but I hope Hazel or Bigwig won't be mad at us for leaving the down so late at night," Bluebell worried.

"You let me worry about them," assured Holly, until something occurred to him. "Bluebell, what did you say when you told them we were leaving?"

"Uhhh… was that my job?" Bluebell was embarrassed.

"You didn't tell them?!"

"No, I didn't."

Holly, Blackberry and Fiver sighed in union, frustrated at the blue buck's carelessness, but they did their best to remain calm. So the foursome decided to sleep close to the belt near the woods without revealing themselves to elil out in the open.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lily had traveled quite far from the down. Heartbroken by Holly's criticism and the others' refusal to support her, she felt that she no longer belonged on the high hills with them and believed it was for the best to leave them, especially Bigwig. She wanted to go back to Henry and pick up where they left off before the incident. Lily took one last glance back at the trees on the high hills, it got smaller as she ran. Shaking her head, Lily picked up speed to get as far away as possible from those stupid rabbits. Hours after, she noticed a railroad that looked familiar. She was sure to have seen it before it. Thinking it over, Lily remembered watching a train in the distance with Henry whenever they sat out on the meadow. If she could follow the tracks, it could take her back to Ridgeway farm, hopefully if still there.

The doe crossed over the field to reach the train tracks, until her nose whiffed as she caught another familiar scent. "Rabbits..."she whispered, "and it doesn't smell like Hazel or Bigwig." She sniffed the air to make sure her nose wasn't playing tricks on her, but it was no trick. She hopped onto a rock and sniffed the air, for these strange rabbits where close by. Lily got off the rock and began to crawl through the tall grass so she wouldn't be seen, remembering Blackberry taught her to stay low to the ground to avoid being spotted by elil. Reaching the end of the tall grass field, Lily paused when she spotted a bunch of large rabbits, bucks by the scent of them, and listened closely to their conversation.

One of the large rabbits, a dark chestnut brown buck with a lighter belly and muzzle along with blue eyes by the name of Campion, sniffed the air. "I lost the scent, if there's an outsider near about, he's a crafty one." He looked rather handsome and broad-chested, like Bigwig, in Lily's case that is.

"Spread out in wide patrol!" ordered a blackish grey rabbit with a beard and yellow eyes called Vervain. "Look for any signs of these outsiders, we all know what General Woundwort wants." He appeared to be very ugly by the looks of it, as Lily knew.

Lily deduced these huge rabbits must be an Owsla, but more intimidating and vicious than Toadflax or Scabious back in Sandleford. Whoever this General Woundwort is, he doesn't appear to be quite the welcoming rabbits to the neighborhood type. Her journey to Ridgeway farm will just have to wait. She decided to follow these strange rabbits to make sure what their plans are. She kept at her distance, covering herself in dirt to hide her scent. She did recall Bigwig taught her that trick. It wasn't long before the large rabbits rested at a clearing in the forest. Lily hid herself in the bushes to eavesdrop.

"Nothing?!" Vervain argued. "We can't go back to the General with nothing!"

"Don't worry, we'll find the outsiders and track them back to their warren," assured Campion.

"And then we _destroy_ them!" added Vervain, cruelly.

Lily gasped, horrified. She put two and two together, and correctly deduced these rabbits are referring to Watership Down and everyone else living there. The doe knew that she had to go back and warn her friends. As she crawled backward, Lily accidently startled a bird and gave away her location.

"There, in the woods!" Campion yelled.

"Oh, no!" Lily turned and ran for her life, with the large rabbits right on her tail. She could hear the savage rabbits growling as they pursued her. Heart pounding in her chest, Lily dodged a fallen tree, dove under a prickly hedge, and made it to the clearing of the forest, trying to get away from them. She paused to catch her breath, but didn't stop for a break as she tore across the field, just as fast as El-ahrairah.

"Get him!" Vervain shouted, gaining up on her and mistaking her for a buck.

Cornered by a river, Lily believed it was all over and there was no way to escape these dangerous bucks. Then she came up with an idea and ran a different path. Climbing down the steep cliff, she began hopping on one rock to the next.

Campion caught up to her, shouting, "There he is!"

Lily made it to the rock in the middle of the river, scratching her foot and injuring it in the process, but despite the small wound, the doe jumped on a log, barely losing her balance, but made it to shore on the other side and climbed up the steep hill to the top. She watched as the large rabbits halted at the shore.

"What are you waiting for?! After him!" Vervain ordered.

Campion hopped on the stone, but he slipped and fell into the water just as the current dragged him away. The other rabbits went after him as Vervain grunted furiously at the escapee's trick before he left.

Lily giggled humorously at the success of her plan and turned to go back to the down to tell her friends, until she bumped head first in the chest of another large rabbit. The impact knocked her to the ground and she opened her eyes. There stood a buck with dark silver fur with a leaner physique, black tipped ears, the back of his neck had spiky black fur, black circles around his dark sadistic blue eyes as he looked down on her, he goes by the name of Orchis.

Once Orchis caught her scent, he chuckled when he realized who she is. "A farm doe, in the General's territory? Not for long." He reached down to pick her up by the scruff of her neck, rather painfully as Lily squeaked. "You can help us track down the outsiders, or you'll die trying!" Orchis smirked maliciously as he brought his long snout closer to a petrified Lily's face.


	10. Shadow of Efrafa

_**Author's note: I discovered a deleted storyboard that told the origin of Woundwort's past and learned his brothers were originally Ragwort and Milkwort. There was more to it than just losing his family to a fox, for there were originally two foxes that destroyed Woundwort's warren and scratched his eye, then a brief scene of Woundwort and Ragwort living in a hutch, later both escaped into the night and locating Efrafa. Read and enjoy it.**_

* * *

Fire everywhere, engulfing the farm house and destroying all signs of life inside. Neither of the humans could deduce how it started or who caused it. They were helplessly trapped and their cries for help unheard. Fiver watched as the father's body caught flames and stumbled out the window, then he was forced to watch the mother impaled by the wooden beam, but his heart cried out for the little boy and his pet rabbit as they lay helpless on the floor, mortified by the deaths of the human parents. The child coughed violently, trying not to inhale the smoke, but Fiver knew the little boy was suffocating and choking in a black cloud. Then something else caught his attention; a giant rabbit with a white eyed scar, taking pleasure in the suffering of the inhabitants of the house. His cruel face landed on Lily, frozen with fear. He raised his paw, extending claws, intent to attack her. The little boy's arms scooped her up just in time, and he tossed her out through an open hole in the wall. Fiver grew astonished that such a human at a young age would perform such heroic task for his kind, but another dreadful event occurred that made him ashamed of his own kind. The giant rabbit with the scar crept up on the suffocating child's chest, and he reared his head back to take a bite out of the child's throat as if he was an elil with fangs.

"**Noooo!**" Fiver screamed, sweat formed on his head and his body trembled whilst his arms and legs waving violently.

Holly, Blackberry and Bluebell leapt up, alarmed and awakened. The trio noticed Fiver's strange behavior and the look on his face, deeply worrying them.

"Fiver? Fiver, wake up!" Holly desperately shook the runt's body and then cuffed him in the face to bring him back to reality.

The cuff in the face woke Fiver up. His eyes widened as he stared at the three rabbits staring in agitation at him. His body still shivered, the vision of Lily's human family's deaths left quite a traumatizing impact on him.

"Are you alright?" asked Holly.

"I had a vision, one that I have never seen before, but I should have told it to you sooner before left the warren!" Fiver fessed up. "I saw Lily living with Henry and his parents, but they were caught in a fire. The father was burned, the mother impaled, and Henry... he saved Lily's life by getting her out of the farm house to safety. But there was someone else in the fire. Another rabbit, his scar as white as the snow, he murdered Henry in cold blood!"

Holly, Blackberry and Bluebell gawked at Fiver in horrified bewilderment.

"Are you sure about this, Fiver?" Holly questioned, unsure whether to believe his own kind were capable of doing such a murderous deed.

"He wasn't wrong about Sandleford laid to waste and the evil of Cowslip's warren," Bluebell warned. "But, why would a rabbit kill a human child? Do you think he had something to do with the fire?"

"I have no doubt about it," Fiver said. "But Lily doesn't know about this, and she doesn't know of the danger she's thrown herself into."

"What sort of danger?" Blackberry was now beginning to feel anxious.

Before Fiver could answer, a rustling of the bushes not far from them sounded off. The four rabbits stood close together, alert and ready to run if elil attacked. "Did you hear something?" Fiver looked around, warily. "What was that?"

"I don't know, but we should stay together," suggested Blackberry. "Bluebell, you don't have to, but tell us a story to lighten the mood."

Bluebell thought for a minute until he came up with a rather spooky tale. "Once upon a time, in the darkest and cruelest winter the world has ever known, El-ahrairah's people were starving. So, El-ahrairah set out to find the only being he thought could save them... the Black Rabbit of Inle. He struggled on and on until eventually, he arrived at the Caves of Inle, the mouth which appeared before him, like the maw of a giant monster trying to eat the sky-"

"And before the prince, the nightmare figured emerged..." The weaselly voice of Orchis came out of nowhere, but it wasn't part of the story, as he appeared out of the darkness, "...like a toxic void, and in his heart, El-ahrairah knew that there were no more tricks to be played." He finished the Bluebell's tale with a sadistic chuckle, just as more large bucks came out of the darkness, surrounding the trapped outsiders. "The old yarns are the best and you spin them so well, storyteller," Orchis complimented, rudely.

"W-Who are you?" Bluebell whimpered.

"My name is Captain Orchis," he introduced himself with a sinister chuckle, "my friends and I are from a warren nearby called Efrafa. We'd love you to join us."

"And what if we refuse?" Holly immediately grew to dislike this nasty buck.

"I'm glad you asked." Orchis stomped his foot to summon the others a demonstrate the downside of the outsiders' refusal.

Out of the shadows came a thud and a cry of anguish as Lily was shoved to the ground, held down forcibly by Vervain with one paw on her head and the other paw pressed down on her back. His claws felt like knives pricking her body, ready to slash her fur open at any second now.

"LILY!" Holly, Blackberry, Fiver and Bluebell cried in horror.

"Here's the deal," Orchis snickered, callously. "Come with us to our warren, or little Miss Lovely Bunny will never run again!"

Holly hesitated, he had never been in a situation before where a doe's life was threatened by enemies. But this is Lily here, and her life is on the line. Sure, he disapproved of her defense of humans, but when he glanced behind him at his three companions, he could see how terrified they were, as they exchanged frightened faces with him. Bluebell grasped Blackberry's arm like a frightened child needing protection. Fiver seemed to silently tell him not to do anything reckless or they will lose a fellow rabbit. Holly gazed at Lily with deep concern as she whimpered, then he glared at Orchis before bowing his head in surrender. Lily stared at him in disbelief on why Holly would do this, after how he treated her.

"I knew you would come around sooner. Now, come along." Orchis took the lead of bringing prisoners back to Efrafa.

The bucks started to shove Holly, Fiver, Blackberry and Bluebell to go forward and to follow Orchis. Most of the strong brutes kept surrounding them in case either of them try to escape. Lily was still a captive of Vervain as he pushed her roughly onward, though she stole a sorrowful glance or two with her four companions. They hoped to figure out a way to get out of this or else the group will get an unpleasant meeting the Black Rabbit of Inle.

* * *

The journey to Efrafa took a whole night to get there, until the next morning the captives found themselves arriving in Efrafa itself. The top of the chimneys probably came from part of a factory that must have been demolished long ago, as Lily believed.

"Holly, I don't have a good feeling about this." Blackberry feared the worst.

"Same here." Bluebell shivered.

"I wish we never left our warren." Fiver shuddered.

"Stay calm, everything will be fine." Holly had maintained calm and brave throughout their journey, despite the terror he felt in his heart.

"Easy for you to say." Lily trembled.

Several other big bucks on sentry duty guarding the entrance stood in position when Orchis, Vervain, Campion and a few others arrived with their prisoners. They were all just about close to Bigwig's height, but possibly a little taller and stronger than Bigwig if he ever fought them and lost in mortal combat. The bucks growled or sneered directly at the five captives, causing Lily to shrink at the size of them or tremble at their growls, which sounded like a fox or dog whenever they did so.

"That is the biggest rabbit I've ever seen." Bluebell grew startled at one of the bucks who appeared to resemble an ogre, as the buck glowered down at him.

Now that the five captives have a clear view of Efrafa; the warren held a giant tree with a hole as an entrance to get inside with wires and sticks around in the grass, bucks stood on the tree's long branches to supervise, the ruins of the two separate chimney stacks were connected with the tree, as if they were guards shielding off the warren from the far open land beyond, and some does were silflaying but they were on watch by the guards. Sometimes if they misbehaved or did the slightest harmless thing, they were warned or punished by a cuff in the face.

"Rabbits weren't meant to live like this!" Fiver whispered in disgust by the bucks' cruelty.

"What is this place?" Lily questioned.

"Welcome my esteemed guests to Efrafa," Orchis chuckled, evilly.

The soldiers continued to force the captives to march toward a small railroad track that connected to the former factory probably to trade supplies. Coming to a checkpoint, the five rabbits witnessed a large stocky brownish grey buck with dark brown eyes by the name of Charlock, who proved to be a ruthless and cruel soldier as he did the unthinkable since he is the Head of the Owslafa, the Council's secret police.

"Get back to the warren, does!" Charlock struck a poor doe in the back of her head, making her collapse to the ground, but she quickly stood back up on her feet to join her fellow does back to their burrow.

Fury boiled inside of Holly that he attempted to intervene and teach Charlock a lesson in manners, but another soldier stood in his way. Bluebell and Fiver gazed sympathetically at the cruelty those does endured, especially Lily. But she noticed Blackberry staring at Campion's dark expression aimed at Charlock for such an act. She didn't understand why Blackberry was staring intently at the Owsla Captain. Perhaps this Campion is not like the rest of the soldiers if he disapproved of the abuse and could provide them means of escape. Then Charlock began telling off a buck by the name of Moss, whom has a beige green mask around his green eyes, his fur and underbelly and his muzzle are all light green, and his entire fur was tinted green, near the small group of does.

"Are you the fool who's supposed to be supervising this mark?" Charlock questioned.

"Well I don't-" Moss tried to explain but he was struck down.

"Concentrate, Corporal. Give these does an inch and they'll be gone!"

"That's enough, Charlock!" Campion immediately rushed in, glaring daggers at Charlock and helping Moss back on his feet. "We're Owsla, not mad dogs!"

"I'm Captain of the Owslafa, and I will do as I please!" Charlock ignored him.

Lily grew surprised by Campion's sudden concern for Moss. No one in this wasteland warren showed compassion toward a fellow rabbit, but the look in Campion's icy blue eyes told her there seemed to be a bit of compassion for his fellow soldiers, including the does. Stealing another glance at Blackberry, she could tell her friend was thinking the exact same thing.

"Thank you, sir." Moss thanked Campion for preventing Charlock from tearing him to pieces, then he escorted the three does back inside the warren.

"Uh, Captain Charlock, sir-" Orchis interrupted.

"What is it?" Charlock turned his attention from a harsh staring at Campion to annoyance at Orchis.

"Ahem!" Holly cleared his throat politely. "We have come to ask-"

"SILENCE! You'll speak when you're spoken to directly and not before!" Charlock shouted in a harsh authoritative voice that kept Holly's mouth shut.

"I picked these hlessi up on the wide patrol... and the doe smells of Man," Orchis added, then smirked teasingly. "And she just outran the best officers in the warren, she made complete fools out of them!"

"Shut up, brother!" Vervain snarked, he didn't like to be teased as Lily's eyes widened when she realized Orchis and Vervain are actually siblings.

"I'll shut up the both of you if you don't clam your jaws shut!" Charlock threatened, raising a paw to strike them, but the two brothers cowered instantly.

Lily shuddered when Charlock approached her, sniffing her fur. He could tell Orchis was correct, the scent of Man was on her. As he stared at her, his scowl intimidated Lily that she moved her head back from avoiding physical contact with his face as he grew closer.

"Hmm, one for the Council." Charlock stepped back and took charge of the captives. "I'll take them down with me."

The guards forced the small group of outsiders to follow Charlock, entering the opening of the tunnel within one of the chimneys. It was gloomy, dark, a few lights from the gutter, and the sounds of several does whimpering or crying nearby. The group halted at the pit of the core to the warren. Vervain shoved Holly into the pit, later joined by the others as they fell where the blue buck landed. Charlock lead them to a waiting point, where a small opening contained a trio of does whispering amongst each other.

"Wait here until the Council is ready to see you," explained Charlock, before he left to make his report and left a few guards to watch the captives.

"What if they separate us?" worried Vilthuril, a doe with a shade of grape colored fur and brownish red eyes. She is close to Fiver's size and height, probably a runt herself.

"They won't, leave the talking to me. So long as we stay together..." the doe who seemed to be in the center of the bunch was a pretty one, brown and amber mix fur with pale blue eyes that held the soul of a rebel and a fighter, she was called Hyzenthlay. She noticed the five captives' attention focused on her and the does. "Can I help you with something?"

When Holly first saw Hyzenthlay, he was instantly spellbound by her. He said nothing but his dark red eyes never left Hyzenthlay's pale blue ones, as she herself was captivated by this strange pale grey buck. At that time, Vilthuril had her first sight of Fiver, she smiled shyly at the runt. Fiver was also smitten with the female runt of Hyzenthlay's group, his eyes never left contact with the doe. Blackberry, Bluebell and Lily stared at the two couples exchanging a love at first sight moment, delighting the two does and making Bluebell very envious.

Suddenly there came a weak grunting from another tunnel. It was a buck, dark blue eyes, very dark fur with dark cedar brown underbelly and muzzle with faint markings around his eyes, limping on his right hind leg and the high arch in his back raised up in a defeated, emaciated state. By the looks of him, he received quite a brutal beating from the soldiers. His gnawed ears were ripped to shreds, claws and bite marks imprinted everywhere on his body. He had head fur on his head like Bigwig, but it seemed more like a hair piece that is shaggy and wild. Everyone knew him by the name of Blackavar, as the buck himself looked up and recognized Holly in a second.

"So, they got you in the end, then?" Blackavar spoke, rather weakly.

"I'm sorry?" Holly grew puzzled by his words.

"Three days ago, a little way from here. I'll admit, but it was definitely you," he replied. "I told you to run for your life with your comrades." Blackavar realized that the rabbits accompanying Holly were not the same rabbits he had seen with the pale grey buck a few days ago.

"Is he the same rabbit you saw when you and the others were searching for us?" Bluebell asked.

Holly nodded, and Lily gently approached the poor buck, saying, "What happened to you?"

"Blackavar is to parade around each of the marks at silflay as an example to remind them if they try to escape," explained Chervil, a light brown buck with black circles around his blue eyes. He ushered the torn buck down another burrow, ordering, "Sainfoin, take him down to the deep burrows. After that, these does are to be separated and re-marked accordingly."

Another buck, Sainfoin, a greyish and green mix heavily built buck with yellow eyes carried out the order to escort poor Blackavar away. Hyzenthlay and Blackavar cast a brief sad frown at each other before he disappeared in the tunnels with Sainfoin forcibly pushing him on.

At first, Lily felt there might be something between them and it could ruin Holly's chances of romance, but she noticed Holly wasn't bothered by competition for a doe. He was disturbed by how Blackavar was violently and unfairly punished by the Efrafans as he shot a cold scowl at Charlock.

"Right, vermin, you're in first," Charlock sneered, standing by the Council's chamber entrance.

"You lack animality," Holly growled.

Charlock paused, then turned back towards him. "What did you say to me?"

"You have no integrity. Animals don't behave like men. If they have to fight, they fight. If they have to kill, they kill. But they don't devise ways of hurting other creatures." Holly stood his ground, calmly and angrily looking squarely at his enemy in the eye with a strong spirit.

Charlock lowered his eyebrows in hatred as he neared Holly's face, and everyone thought he was going to strike him, but instead he warned in an icy tone, "If you speak out of tune to me again, I will have your tongue. Next time you see me, you'd better wish yourself invisible." He dismissed himself as he entered the chamber.

Holly ventured in first, followed by Fiver and Bluebell and Blackberry, although Lily joined in last as she began a silent prayer that a miracle will save them if the Council harms them or if Hazel and Bigwig will be coming to rescue them from the clutches of these monsters. The ginger doe wished how she could have spent her last moments with Bigwig in a better moment instead of arguing about humans.

"Bring the slaves to the Council's chamber! Everyone gets to witness the General to decide the fates of these five intruders!" Vervain ordered the rest of the guards as they carried out their orders.

Soldiers rushed outside to force the does back inside from both areas of the warren, out by the chimney stacks and by the tall crooked tree. The does had no idea what is going on, but Hyzenthlay knew it had something to do with the five rabbits who had come to Efrafa.

Upon crossing a wooden plank used for a bridge that took them to the chamber, Lily looked down and saw a few dismayed does were in open shade as the scorching sun beat down on them. The does were exhausted, starving, or longing to be free, or worse wishing they were already dead. "Ohh... poor rabbits..." she whispered.

After managing to cross the bridge and entering the council chamber, there stood five large rabbits, probably held in equal ranks of the Owsla to be judges or jurors. Charlock stood beside several officers, all known as the Council's secret police, Owslafa. The balconies were crowded by soldiers and whimpering does as they were forced to watch this awful event. One of the rabbits in the Council was an intimidatingly large muscular buck with ragged dull brown fur, his ears a bit notched and dark circles around his greenish-yellow eyes, his name is Ragwort, the second in command of Efrafa.

"These are the rabbits that Orchis, Campion and I captured when they were assessing the wide patrol sir," Vervain explained.

Groundsel, the head judge of the council who is a large buck with dull green fur and gray-blue eyes, studied the rabbits carefully. "Where did you find them?" he interrogated.

"They were down by Casear's Belt," Orchis told him, before he started to chuckle. "The blue one tells stories. And the doe here, she smells of Man, not to mention she outsmarted our best captains when they pursued her."

"I just thought of a joke," Bluebell whispered at the idea of it.

"Don't you dare!" Blackberry whispered sharply to silence him. "What did I say about inappropriate jokes?"

"Now is not the time for this!" Lily scolded in a whisper.

"You, at the front. Speak!" Ragwort demanded in a sharp voice, pointing at Holly.

Keeping calm and his poker face on, Holly cleared his throat as he stepped forward. "We're from a warren not too far from away. We came to request that some of the does be asked if they'd like to join us."

"Then why do you have two does with you?" Campion interrogated, his eyes glimpsed at Lily and Blackberry suspiciously.

"They are two of the three does in our warren, most of our rabbits are bucks whom are fighting amongst each other for their affection," Holly explained.

The does began to murmur, either some were pleased at the idea of moving out of this dreadful place, while others had doubts believing Holly's request to be a trick.

"Let me get this straight," Charlock snickered. "You came to Efrafa to ask if you could take our does?"

"That is quite out of the question, foolish outsider!" Vervain sneered.

The entire council members and the secret police burst out laughing, taking Holly's request as a joke. But an unexpected presence entered the chamber, high on the platform.

"**ENOUGH!**" a harsh, raspy voice echoed in the chamber room, silencing the mocking laughter in an instant.

Everybody looked up and there on the platform stood an exceptionally large and savage rabbit that Lily and her friends have ever seen in their lives. He had ragged dark grey fur, numerous scars on his body, extremely masculine in size, torn ears, dark circles under his eyes that are both mismatched; his right eye a blood red color, the other blind by a life long injury as white as the moon. He bore a strange resemblance to Ragwort, except this scarred rabbit is larger and more vicious than Ragwort or the others. The Council and officers reacting at his presence told Lily that he must be the leader of Efrafa, but staring at this scarred rabbit brought a sudden memory back for Lily; the fire in the farm house, Henry lying on the floor, and Lily confronted by the very same giant scarred rabbit. She realized at once this creature was not part of a nightmare, he was part of her past. How he got in her house and if the fire was his doing, she didn't know yet.

"It's him!" Lily gasped quietly, and her four companions looked at her in surprise.

"You look like you've seen a ghost!" whispered Blackberry

"I _have_."

"Uh, brother! We weren't expecting you." Ragwort gasped at the sudden presence of the giant rabbit, and his relation to this tyrant of a chief rabbit made Lily's eyes widened upon realizing they are brothers.

"Vervain is right," The tyrannical leader spoke. "Gifting our does is out of the question."

"I take it back. _That's_ the biggest rabbit I've ever seen." Bluebell shuddered at the sight of this enormous buck.

"No, no! We can't leave here without putting our case forward!" Holly protested, sternly.

"Leave here? Who on earth said you were ever going to leave here?" The tyrant interrupted.

"However, we really do feel it would be beneficial for both our warrens for a matter of peace instead of war, uhh Captain..."

"My name is Woundwort - General Woundwort." The tyrant introduced himself, correcting the shocked Holly.

"And why should we stay in a warren where you poorly mistreat your does?" Lily chided, angrily. "Rabbits need to respect their does, not abuse them or take advantage of them like the savage beasts you are!"

The Council and the secret police gasped, so did the does, but Woundwort remained oddly calm as he mused, "Perhaps instead of being marked, I could have all of you executed right now."

Lily gasped, wishing she had not opened her mouth to speak her mind.

"Now you've done it," grumbled Bluebell.

Fiver's body began to tremble, his eyes shut tight. He knew a vision was coming, but nothing like this one.

"You ask which I prefer; war or peace," Woundwort announced. "I answer: war. You ask which I prefer; life or death. I answer; death."

"But-" Holly tried to object.

"All your questions answered... execute them on my command!" ordered Woundwort.

Lily, Holly, Blackberry and Bluebell gasped, horrified. Fiver didn't seem to take notice. Blackavar, Hyzenthlay and the does gasped worriedly as well.

His Owsla surrounded the four captives, leaving them no chance of escape. As Lily looked at Campion, she realized perhaps she was wrong about convincing him to let them go after witnessing his defense of Moss. They are all alike in Efrafa; ruthless monsters with no hearts.

"Unless you want to live, tell me this... where is your warren, outsiders?" demanded Woundwort.

"I'm afraid we can't do that, General," answered Holly.

Angered, Woundwort scraped his prominent claws and growled, "You claim you're from another warren. I will destroy it, and your people will become mine."

Noticing Fiver's strange body gestures, Lily grew concerned and asked, "Fiver, what's wrong?"

"They will obey me, and live through me!" Woundwort continued. "Those who don't will die!" Turning to his captains, he gave the command of execution, "STRIKE!"

The Owsla smirked when they were about to kill the five captives, whom huddled closer together or ready to fight back. Campion wasn't smirking like the others, but he was just following orders like any rabbit would for his chief. Blackberry stood her ground, ready to fight him first. She had no idea why she had stared at him so intently upon her first sight on him, but all of that vanished when she prepared to fight for her friends.

All of a sudden, Fiver began to scream out loud in agony, as if he was in extreme pain. "OHHHHH! Darkhaven is destroyed!" he cried.

Hearing that particular word, Woundwort and Ragwort raised their heads in surprise, and just as the soldiers were about to attack when the General ordered them to stop, "HOLD! He said Darkhaven!"

"Foxes in the garden... Hemlock killed... fire in the field... the man with a gun... save them, Laurel!" Fiver visioned, his eyes shot open and rolled in the back of his head, displaying the white as he stared at no one in particular, although his eyes completely terrified the Owsla and the does.

"Hemlock... Laurel... my parents..." Woundwort's voice lowered, shocked to hear the names of his and Ragwort's parents come from this runt with a strange power that no rabbit could ever possess. "Clear the gathering area, everyone underground!" he bellowed.

The guards quickly scattered to escort the does back underground to their assigned marks. Campion, Sainfoin, Vervain, Orchis, Charlock, Ragwort, Groundsel and the rest of the Council remained behind, all staring at Fiver in bewilderment.

When Woundwort hopped off the platform, he approached Fiver and studied him curiously, finding it impossible that a runt could know about his past. "Only the Black Rabbit of Inle could know these things."

"A weasel coming through the bushes... getting closer and closer... smelling the blood. Too tired to run away! TOO TIRED TO RUN!" Fiver continued, ending his vision.

General Woundwort had gone tharn, his mind traveling back to a traumatic part of his childhood that regarded going to a Man's garden to steal flayrah with his father, Hemlock, and his brothers, Ragwort and Milkwort. Woundwort was born - the weakest in a litter of five - at a burrow within the bowels of Darkhaven. Humans burned them out and many rabbits perished, except a small group who escaped. Settling down in a small warren close by, Woundwort's family and several others ventured toward the garden belonging to a cottage in order to steal plenty of flayrah and bring back to the warren. Woundwort's small size and timid nature made him the target of bullies from his siblings. However, their parents still loved Woundwort and held high hopes for their son when he grows up.

On that day, Hemlock brought his three sons to the cottage's garden to take some flayrah back to the warren. Woundwort volunteered to be the lookout. Hemlock, Milkwort and Ragwort lolloped inside the garden and discovered a row of delicious cabbages growing nearby. All of a sudden, Woundwort felt a sudden and strange presence close by. He felt the fear take hold of him. He stood still, frozen and paralyzed to say a word. Hemlock noticed his son's behavior, wondering what the matter is, until he realized his son had gone tharn because an elil is nearby.

All of a sudden, a fox ambushed and killed Hemlock by sinking his jaws into the rabbit's throat before another fox, a vixen whom is his mate, pursued the terrified young bucks back to their warren, where the vixen slaughtered one rabbit after the next. Woundwort's sisters couldn't escape in time as the vixen slaughtered the poor young does in cold blood. The fox later caught up with his mate, joining her in their massacring the rabbits for an easy meal. Woundwort and his brothers attempted to escape, leaping through the thick brambles. Unfortunately, the mean-spirited Milkwort lost his life when the fox caught up to him after going tharn, sinking his jaws into his throat and shook him like a terrier does to a rat.

In the process, Ragwort and Woundwort scrambled inside the brambles for cover, although the fox's muzzle and sharp jaws barely caught them. Panicking, Woundwort tried to run but he got cornered by the fox. The fox scratched him in the left eye, blinding him. Suddenly Laurel, Woundwort's mother, bravely lunged out of nowhere and maimed the fox in the eyes, allowing her sons to escape. Seconds later, she joined them. With the fox blind, the enraged vixen resumed pursuit in attempt to avenge her mate, but Laurel lead her to the human's cottage, where she carelessly knocked over some fuel tanks used for a nearby truck, and the sun's heat started a spark which grew into a flame, creating a sudden wildfire. The vixen couldn't escape the flames in time as Laurel bit at the jugular in the throat so the vixen can no longer run with a bad injury and she instantly perished in the fire, where the unfortunate blind fox joined her soon after. Laurel made sure her sons were alright, although they had been terribly frightened, but they were safe.

Unfortunately, the smell of the blood on Woundwort's eye attracted another elil; a weasel. Laurel realizes there was no place to go and her sons were too tired to run. Taking one last loving smile at her sons, the doe heroically lunged at the weasel, but the weasel succeeded in winning the battle by overpowering Laurel and killing her by tearing out her throat. Ragwort stared on in stupefied horror. Woundwort shielded his eyes to avoid witnessing the death of another loved one. He prepared for the worst when the weasel came close to killing him and his brother when a gunshot rang out, killing the elil. The fire had been put out by the man, a schoolmaster, when alarmed by the commotion outside, who discovered the pair of orphaned young bucks and decided to take them in and raise them.

Locked inside a hutch for the past few seasons, Woundwort and Ragwort had grown into adolescence. They were given food and water by the kind human. However, Woundwort could only growl or bite him whenever the Man tried to feed them. It was by now when Ragwort noticed this violent change in his brother, and he grew concerned with each passing minute. The once timid and weak little Woundwort had a black scowl on his expression, combining with his new scarred eye made him appear threatening and cold. Nearby, a black cat was dozing off in his basket. He belonged to the Man, but the cat disapproved and hated these newcomers in his territory, thus took the opportunity to torment the imprisoned rabbits whenever his master's back was turned.

Examining the wires of his cage, Woundwort concocted a plan to make their escape. He began to knaw and bite at the wires, though it was a long and tireless job, the young buck was determined to escape this prison. The life of a hutch rabbit wasn't suited for him. He continued to do this all day until the sun started to set. Ragwort had fallen asleep when he heard a pained howl and a shriek. Waking up, he found a large hole had been chewed open in the hutch and Woundwort absent. Looking around, Ragwort discovered the cat hiding underneath a shelf of kitchen appliances, trembling and licking at the blood oozing from a huge gash in his leg. Ragwort couldn't believe it. Did Woundwort really maim that cat? His question was answered when he found his brother standing on a wooden drawer and in front of the window, wiping the blood off his lips. Ragwort didn't need to be told twice to climb out of the hutch and leapt onto the drawer, climbing out of the window with Woundwort to make their escape.

The two young bucks escaped the cottage and bounded off into the night, searching for a new home and a new warren to stay. The trauma and their adventures had, in some strange way, brought them closer. No more did Ragwort tease his brother, recognizing the strength and courage in Woundwort. They could have gone back to Darkhaven, that is until they stumbled upon another warren; Efrafa. It was ruled by the callous, lazy, stubborn and irresponsible Fiorin. He bullied his rabbits and took all the flayrah for himself when gardens were raided. The rabbits never fought back, they were so frightened, weak and their starvation made them turn on each other in a blind rage. It wasn't any better when elil were everywhere, slaughtering rabbits at every opportunity they stole. Nevertheless, Fiorin took in the wandering brothers with plans to train them as part of his Owsla after learning of Woundwort's courage against the cat. However, Woundwort concocted a secret plot of his own to usurp Fiorin's leadership and conquer his warren. He succeeded when defeating Fiorin in a bloody combat that ended the lazy chief's life with his neck broken. Inspired, the rabbits began to look up to Woundwort as their new leader. General Woundwort took command of Efrafa and taught everyone how to attack and fight the elil. In no time flat, these rabbits transformed into the savage, fearless, violent and cunning soldiers they are today.

"**GET OUT OF MY HEAD!**" The now adult Woundwort screamed, grasping his paws at his forehead.

After the entire vision had ended, Fiver fainted but he was caught by Lily. Holly, Blackberry and Bluebell were baffled at such a vision their friend had spoke of, for all they knew Fiver could only predict the future, but nothing like this.

"Who are you, and what in Frith's name is he?!" Woundwort questioned, as the Owslafa surrounded them again.

Fiver regained consciousness, just as Holly answered boldly, "I told you. We are from another warren, a great warren. My Owsla is as strong as your own. Silent as the night, and even if you could not see them, they could be all around you."

"_Your_ Owsla?" Orchis repeated, staring at Holly in disbelief. "You're a captain?"

"Captain Holly, if you please, just as you are one, though I dare not call you captain because you and all Owsla in Efrafa lack animality!"

"Don't challenge them!" Bluebell warned.

Campion was intended that he would dare challenge an enemy rabbit, but his chief rabbit had forbidden him to fight these outsiders.

"Hold it!" Woundwort had been thinking over what Holly told him, and after witnessing Fiver's gift, he decided to lay down an ultimatum. Maybe these five rabbits can be useful for his warren, until he finds their warren and enslave all who live there. "Perhaps the execution was too fast. After you're all marked, I'll find some use for all of you."

"But, General-" Groundsel objected, but the scowl Woundwort gave him reminded the large buck to keep his mouth shut.

The five rabbits exchanged concerned faces, but since Fiver had saved their lives, maybe there is a slight chance of this turn of events to escape.

"It appears we have no choice," Holly decided, feigning acceptance to live in Efrafa, then secretly winked at his comrades.

Lily, Blackberry, Bluebell and Fiver nodded, agreeing with him.

"Campion, have them taken to be marked and then escort them to their burrow with a few of the other slaves," Woundwort commanded. "The rest of you, get back to your Marks! And bring in Bugloss, I have a job for him."

"Yes, sir!" The soldiers obeyed, and then left their separate ways, although the chosen officer, Campion, forcibly escorted the prisoners out of the council chamber.

* * *

Back on Watership Down, Hazel and Bigwig and Pipkin had made the journey to Nuthanger farm, puzzled at Fiver's absence since he was supposed to go with them, because Kehaar said he had gone to pass hraka at a bad timing. Nevertheless, things did not turn out quite smoothly when they failed to liberate Clover and other does. Returning to the down, Hazel and Bigwig were absolutely livid when Kehaar and Hannah admitted of Holly's plan to bring back does from this warren in the east, but the worst of it is that Fiver, Blackberry and Bluebell had gone with him, distressing Hazel. Not quite as bad as Bigwig discovering Lily's absence when she hadn't gone somewhere alone right after Holly had unleashed his temper on her. The lion buck flew into a rage of fury, but he grew utterly devastated that he might never see Lily again if nobody can find her. Hazel did his best to calm him down and convince Bigwig to start a search party for Lily and the others. So Hazel set off with Bigwig, Buckthorn and Silver on their journey. It was late afternoon when the sun began to set long after the three bucks left the high hills. Strawberry had been left in charge until their return, much to the bucks' dismay as the stern doe had them continue digging.

"Frith above, why did Lily have to leave us?!" Bigwig lamented, concerned and frustrated at himself for not seeing this sooner. "If anything happens to her, I'll never forgive myself."

"Don't worry, mate. Holly and the others probably found her and asked her to join them..." Buckthorn realized he wasn't helping when Bigwig scorned in his face.

"Need I remind you that Holly is the reason she left us!" Bigwig shouted, thoughts of gaining revenge on the pale grey buck ran through his mind. "Next time I see him, I'm going to tear off his ears and SHOVE THEM DOWN HIS THROAT!"

"We don't need any fighting when we find them," Hazel reprimanded.

"You mean _if_ we find them," Silver dryly pointed out.

"We will find them, I guarantee it."

The search party traveled through the forest for an hour, continuing their journey to Efrafa. Neither of them had a chance to rest, except when eating silflay or drinking from a pond. But they didn't stay long to eat as silflay was very short. Bigwig was the most pushy one of the group, determined to find his beloved doe before anything bad happens to her. Hazel tried to calm him, though he felt slightly uneasy for his brother's absence, silently hoping his little brother will be alright.

* * *

"Where are they taking us?" Holly questioned, right after the three captains had a few does accompany him and his comrades to be marked along with the outsiders.

The tunnel had grown darker by the minute as everyone ventured deeper in the underground burrow, putting a dreadful fear in their souls.

"You're going to be marked," Hyzenthlay explained. "On which leg determines where you'll live in Efrafa, what time you can go out, to eat, or pass hraka."

"This is... it's just a prison!" Fiver complained.

"They tell us it's to keep us safe from humans or elil. But most of all, they tell us Man will find us and infect us with the White Blindness." Another doe, a dull green coffee colored doe with yellow eyes, called Nettle scorned. "They tell us it's better to give up a little liberty in exchange for safety, but it's a load of old lendri beard!"

"Nettle, be careful!" warned Hyzenthlay.

"I don't believe Man infects rabbits with this white blindness." Lily rolled her eyes in displeasure. "It's probably an excuse to keep you all in Efrafa."

"We believed it at first, but now that you mention it, we realize it is just a pathetic excuse," Hyzenthlay agreed.

The group of rabbits arrived at a darker part of the warren, where a guard stood at the entrance, clearing the way for them to allow access. It was a small round staircase that lead deeper underground. Lily noticed the open roof above where the sky was a mixture of lovely colors, a sign of what could have been a beautiful sunset she would've loved to have seen if not trapped inside this prison. In a small basement, there stood a huge creepy rabbit with droopy ears and a sharp buck tooth. He sharpened his claw, the longest claw ever that reminded Lily of a velociraptor, on his left hind leg. The high pitched scratch of the nail on the iron hurt their ears.

"Who's first?" Campion looked at the prisoners, waiting impatiently.

Neither of them spoke or tried to move, cause they weren't willing to go or were afraid to go through with this.

"I'll go first. I'm not scared," Nettle volunteered, and she went down before sliding on the iron grate to reach the bottom and approached the creepy rabbit.

"Why don't the rabbits here try to escape? Uh, Hyzenthlay!" Holly asked her through a whisper. "Your name is Hyzenthlay, isn't it?"

"Keep your voice down!" Hyzenthlay hissed. "In Efrafa, even the soil has ears. If by some miracle we did manage to get out, they destroy everyone you left behind."

As they watched, the droopy creepy rabbit pressed Nettle down on the iron ground. Sniffing and grunting at her, Nettle bravely extended her front left leg. Then, he started to mark on Nettle's left hind leg. Lily couldn't bare to watch as she pressed her face against Bluebell's shoulder, and the blue buck tried to offer her comfort by patting her shoulder.

Noticing how Campion turned his head away from the suffering of the mark, as if he's seen enough horror in his life before, Holly scolded, "Don't avert your eyes, Captain Campion. You're a party to this."

"I'm following orders," Campion denied, defending himself. "That's what soldiers do."

"Take it from me. What makes a good soldier is not always what makes a good rabbit."

When it was over, Nettle limped as she climbed up out of the basement back to the others. Campion ordered the next prisoner to go in, so Fiver volunteered silently as he hopped down the iron grate and calmly awaited his mark.

"What are your names?" Hyzenthlay asked both Lily and Bluebell their names, noticing how terrified they were.

"I'm Lily, and this is Bluebell, and the other doe here is Blackberry," the ginger doe introduced themselves.

"Listen, I want all of you to close your eyes and think of something you really like," Hyzenthlay advised, as one of them could be next to receive a mark in order to make them feel better.

"Spring morning, eating sweet sow thistle," Bluebell said. "The sun on my back-"

"You, there! You're next!" Campion ordered.

Bluebell was pushed forward to go in. He passed the already marked Fiver, who limped badly, and slid down the iron grate to receive his mark.

"What I like to think of is living back on the farm with Henry, eating carrots, sitting on the beach with his family..." Lily sighed, dreamily.

"What is a beach?" Vilthuril was puzzled. "Where did you say you're from?"

"Ridgeway farm, it was my home until a fire started," explained Lily. "But living here would be far worse than what happened to Henry... I just hope he's okay..."

Fiver sighed, realizing that he had to tell her the truth about Henry's fate sooner than he thought.

"Hyzenthlay, I can see you're a good rabbit, a strong rabbit," Holly commended, sincerely. "Let's make a break for it tonight. We'll take as many with us as we can."

"You know nothing of me, Holly, and I know nothing of you," Hyzenthlay refused, glaring suspiciously. "How do I know you're not one of them?"

"You knew he wasn't one of the Efrafans when you were staring into his eyes like they were filled with carrots!" Lily chided, quoting Bluebell's words about love at first sight.

Hyzenthlay whirled her head around to scowl darkly at her, though her cheeks were as red as the sky above.

"But what about you?" Fiver asked. "What makes _you_ happy?"

Hyzenthlay's eyes enlarged as she turned away, her eyes shut tight for a moment until one word escaped from her lips, "Primrose."

Campion's ear twitched upon hearing that familiar name, and Blackberry sensed a deep sorrow in his eyes. He glared silently at Hyzenthlay, only for his eyes to be met by Blackberry, who fixed a hard frown back at him. And then, that strange feeling returned when their eyes locked on. Blackberry was never interested in any buck in Sandleford after being ostracized for her intelligence by the Owsla, so she remained content as a single doe. However, there was something about Campion which caught her interest so deeply, she felt her heart racing a mile a minute. Wait, what is she thinking? Blackberry knew she cannot develop a school girl crush on a stranger who took charge of hurting her friends. Brushing off these emotions, the doe shut her eyes and looked away.

"So, who is Primrose?" Lily was inquiring Hyzenthlay about this mystery doe.

To avoid any emotional conversation between them, Campion exclaimed, "Who is next?"

Lily took a small step back, afraid of going down that dark pit and marked by a savage rabbit. Blackberry bravely volunteered to go forward. Bluebell hopped out of the darkness of the pit, allowing Blackberry to move past him. She carefully slid down the iron grate, greeted by the droopy rabbit, who pressed her down on iron slate. Blackberry shut her eyes tightly when she felt her flesh ripped open, making a painful whimper as it happened. Her friends turned away, fearing for her. Even Campion shut his eyes when he couldn't bare to watch her suffering. Why he took pity on this doe, he had no idea. He hadn't felt this way since...No, he cannot think of the past now. He must remained focused on the present and follow orders.

When Blackberry's mark was finished, Campion gazed at the last prisoner. "You're next, farm doe!"

One of the guards immediately shoved the quivering Lily forward, as she stumbled down the iron grate and into the darkness, hearing the fearful gasps of her friends behind her.

Blackberry hopped past her to get back up the iron grate. "Be brave," she whispered in her friend's ear.

Nodding, Lily cautiously approached the droopy rabbit as he sniffed at her. There was a creepy grin on his face when he shoved her to the iron floor with his large paw, feeling his heavy weight crushing her body.

_I must be brave and not cry like a cowardly little-Aaah!_ Lily's thoughts cut short when the edge of the claw pierced onto her right hind leg. She began to cringe and whimper, but she kept her mouth firmly shut. The nail went deeper into her leg as she felt a part of her flesh and fur was opened. Her paws grasped the iron floor, leaving her own engraved marks. When her mark was complete, the droopy rabbit removed his claw and Lily limped her way out of the darkness as quickly as she could to rejoin the others.

"You were very brave," Holly praised, warmly smiling at Lily for the first time throughout their interaction. He had been dreadfully concerned for her wellbeing after witnessing the poor doe receiving her cruel mark.

"Thank you." Lily smiled, and despite their rocky encounter in Sandleford and their feud in the high hills, she found it in her heart to willingly forgive him.

* * *

Night came, but nobody wanted to star gaze tonight cause the does needed to silflay or pass hraka outside the warren one last time. Both areas of the warren outside the chimney stacks and the crooked tree had large groups of does silflaying or passing hraka because each of their different marks meant it was their time to silflay or pass hraka before retiring to their burrows for the night. Under the General's orders, Captain Bugloss was given the job of being put in charge to keep watch over the five newcomers as he kept a stern eagle eye on the rabbits.

"Aah! I think it cut deep. It won't stop bleeding," Fiver grunted, limping.

"I know how you feel," Lily replied, licking her wound with her tongue. "I just wish you had herbs to give us for our wounds, Blackberry."

"I doubt they allow healing herbs around here." Blackberry doubted, licking her own wound.

"Stupid Efrafans!" Bluebell stuck his tongue out in a raspberry at Charlock and Bugloss when they weren't looking. "So, what do we do now?"

"We have a choice to make." Holly brought the five of them together, huddling closer to lay out the plan. "We can stay or we can run. I still believe we can make a run for it."

"But what happened to you back there, Fiver?" inquired Bluebell. "I've never seen a vision take you that way, especially the look in your eyes. It frightened everybody in the Council's chamber."

"I hope it never does again," Fiver replied, worriedly. "Woundwort is full of hate and fear and loss. It just swept over me."

"It saved our lives, Fiver," assured Holly, comfortingly.

Lily thought of something else for her group that could work in their plan. "There was a railroad nearby when they captured me. If they chase us, we can lure them to the railroad. If a train will come by, it will cut them off from pursuing us."

"What is a railroad and a train?" Bluebell raised a confused eyebrow.

Suddenly they heard Charlock make a surprise announcement at a small broken stone hedge, "Listen up, I want to introduce you to Blackavar!" He ordered an Owsla officer to shove the battered dark rabbit to parade during the silflay, where more bloody marks were on his body, as this was the Owsla's way of humiliating Blackavar. "Look hard at this rabbit and remember him when you think of disobeying General Woundwort."

Lily wanted to step in and defend Blackavar, but Holly held her back and shook his head. Charlock glanced an evil grin at the five outsiders, eager to show off and let this be a lesson to them if either of the newcomers try to escape or retaliate.

"If we leave tonight, we should bring Blackavar and Hyzenthlay with us," whispered Lily.

"They will, but we need to get ourselves out first," Holly advised. "We'll need Hazel's help to get them out of Efrafa, especially getting every single doe out of this Frith forsaken warren."

Lily sighed, devastated. She knew he was right, but her heart cried out to Hyzenthlay, Vilthuril, Nettle, Blackavar and every imprisoned doe present at silflaying or privately passing hraka. They had no choice but to leave the others behind.

Taking one last look at the guards on sentry duty whilst they talked to each other, Holly whispered to his friends, "Can you run?"

"Yes!" Lily, Fiver, Blackberry and Bluebell answered in union.

"Now... on my word, run and don't look back," Holly added. "Whatever it takes to survive."

The five of them started to slowly move away from the guards and the does. However, it didn't take long for their escape attempt to go unnoticed.

"You, there! Stop!" Bugloss shouted, when he first noticed their movements.

The does looked up and gasped, shocked at their bold actions. Even Blackavar and his guard, paused to see what is going on.

"Run!" Holly instructed loudly.

And with that, the five rabbits started to pick up speed and made a run for it to get away from the warren. However, they were being pursued by the Owslafa; Charlock, Bugloss, and a few more guards, all bigger and stronger and faster.

Despite the pain in their marked legs, Lily and her companions successfully managed to escape from the warren of hell, but the soldiers were still on their tail. They used attempted maneuvers to get rid of them by going through thick bushes and under a bridge where two guards blocked their way out. With a battle cry, Holly and Blackberry tackled them both to get them out of their way, although Holly maintained leadership while Blackberry never felt such strength before. They were about to run underneath a third bridge, but their path was blocked off by bars, so the five rabbits had to climb up the hill to make their getaway.

Blackberry's hind leg started to ache by the cut in her leg. "My leg! I can't run fast enough!" she exclaimed.

"We're nearly there!" Holly encouraged, making the harsh climb.

"There's no end to this place!" Bluebell panted, on the verge of giving up.

At the top of the hill, Lily noticed a tall hill and a railroad. Her heart soared with joy. "There! It's the railroad!"

Suddenly Charlock appeared out of nowhere and prevented their escape. "You rabbits have made a very grave error," he sneered.

Just when it seemed the five rabbits have lost all hope, a familiar doe lunged out of nowhere and tackled the startled Charlock, pinning him to the ground.

"Hyzenthlay!" gasped Holly.

"Run!" she ordered, and as the others ran, though Holly hesitated.

"Come with us!" the pale grey buck tried to persuade her.

"I would never go without the others! Go, now!" the doe urged.

"I'll come back for you! I promise!" Holly made a valiant vow, as he started his running feet back up to catch up to his friends, just as more soldiers arrived when sounded by the alarm and Hyzenthlay was struck unconscious by Charlock after he maliciously told her this is the last time she sees the stars.

Sliding downhill after their rough climb, it gave the five fugitives more speed to escape the Efrafan soldiers. Racing across an open meadow, they picked up speed. The pain in Blackberry's leg made her slow down as she begged Holly to leave her so she wouldn't feel like a burden to her friends. Holly refused, pushing the doe onward and encouraging her to keep moving forward. Glancing over his shoulder, he could see the Efrafan Owslafa still in hot pursuit.

"Run faster, you swines!" Charlock commanded, meaning serious business. "Tear them to pieces!"

Finally, they reached the high railway embankment by crawling under a wired fence and found the large hill filled with coal rocks, making Lily realize they were closer to the railroad tracks now and her part of the plan could work. The group scrambled up the hill. Fiver slipped and slowly fell back down toward where the Owslafa was approaching, close enough to catch the runt.

"Oh no, Fiver!" Blackberry whirled round to go back for him, catching him in time.

"Blackberry!" Holly shouted, sliding downhill a bit to block the Owslafa Captain's path of attacking Blackberry and Fiver, slashing Charlock in the face with his claws, before rejoining his friends.

Charlock growled, infuriated at the scars he received on his face. Once they made it to the top, Bluebell and Lily waited for them. Their ears cocked when they heard a few familiar voices calling their names.

"It sounds like Hazel and Bigwig!" Bluebell cheered.

Looking down on the other side of the hill, the five rabbits could see by the light of the full moon where Hazel, Bigwig, Buckthorn and Silver were racing to the bottom of the railway embankment, relieved and overjoyed to have found their friends.

"It _is_ Hazel and Bigwig!" Lily exclaimed, tears of joy stung her eyes. "Thank Frith!"

Before either of them could do anything, Charlock and the Owslafa caught up to them. They started attacking the fugitives and scratching Fiver when he tried to stop them from biting Blackberry by going for her hind leg to worsen her injury. Her hind leg burned from all the running and the deep cut in her leg.

"Ow, my leg!" Blackberry cried out in pain.

Fiver sunk his teeth in Bugloss' neck, making the officer cry out in agony. But due to the runt's smaller size, Bugloss used this advantage to shove him off and took a swipe at his face. Fiver squealed when part of his face got clawed at.

"Leave him alone!" Hazel's voice bellowed down below, hearing the commotion from below and grew fearful for his brother's safety.

"Who is that?!" Charlock's head shot up, briefly surprised by the sudden presence of more outsiders.

As if things couldn't get any worse, a passenger train rattled thunderously on the tracks, signaling its oncoming approach. Holly and Bluebell roughly pushed Charlock and Bugloss off the paralyzed Fiver and Blackberry. Another guard came onto the tracks, and Holly was engaged in combat with Charlock, whilst Bluebell fought against Bugloss. Blackberry slashed her claws at another officer. Lily was about to get Fiver back on his feet, the train's whistle shrieked in the distance and the head lights were shining so brightly that it caught her and everyone else's attention, making them go completely tharn.

"**DON'T LOOK INTO THE LIGHT! _YOU'LL GO THARN!_**" Blackberry screamed, just as Charlock lunged to attack her.

Bravely, Bluebell joined the fight and scratched Charlock in the eye, then he shoved Blackberry off the tracks to get her out of harm's way. Holly gave Bugloss one last swipe before he lost his balance and stumbled off the tracks.

Shaking her head, Lily returned to reality, just as Charlock grabbed Fiver by the ears as the runt squealed in agony.

"It's time for you to stop running!" Charlock threatened, darkly.

Thinking fast, Lily reached forward and sunk her teeth into Charlock's neck, causing the Efrafan officer to scream and release the still paralyzed Fiver, then she tore at his neck, making him gurgle and choke as blood poured out of his throat. The lights grew brighter and the train grew closer than ever. Bugloss and Charlock were both unable to move due to Charlock's injuries and Bugloss had gone tharn in the train's headlights. The rest of the Owslafa were forced to retreat when the train grew closer and closer. Lily used her weight to shove Fiver off the tracks as she leaped towards the other side of the tracks taking him with her, but Charlock's screams were silenced as the train thundered in, killing him and Bugloss instantly.

Down below, the rest of the Watership Down rabbits had located Holly and Bluebell and Blackberry, whom had tumbled down the embankment and lay on the ground, but they could barely see what was going on. They watched in horror at what recently appeared to be four rabbits struck and killed by the giant speeding train.

"No!" Bigwig cried, hoping his beloved doe wasn't killed right before his very eyes.

"Fiver!" Hazel called out, close to a panic at what he believed to be his brother's demise.

The other rabbits prayed, silently watching and waiting for any signs of life. Just then, two rabbits came bouncing down the embankment and rolled across the ground to their feet. It was Lily and Fiver, though unharmed yet not sure if they are still alive. The shaken Fiver stood up, his legs trembling and trying to recover from the shock of the incident.

"Fiver, you're alright!" Hazel rushed over, giving his little brother a neck rub with such joy and relief. "Thank Frith, I found you!"

"Hazel, am I glad to see you!" Fiver returned the neck rub with equal affection.

Standing back up on his feet and regaining his senses, Blackberry smiled graciously at Bluebell for his heroic actions. "Bluebell, you saved me. You're a hero."

"I much preferred it when I was a liability," Bluebell shrugged, though flattered. "But what was that thing?"

"Either way," Holly stood up, half shaken but astonished, "Frith has decided that it's not our time to stop running."

"LILY!" Bigwig's panicked voice rang out, catching their attention. For when the lion buck had rushed over to her body, he grew concerned when Lily failed to open her eyes and no signs of breathing happened. "Lily, please answer me!" he cried, shaking her body hoping it would wake her.

Silver laid a paw on her chest. "I feel a heart beat, she's still alive."

"Then why doesn't she wake up?!" Bigwig shouted, frantic with worry.

"It was a long fall from that hill, she probably struck her head," Holly deduced.

Remembering Holly is the reason for Lily's disappearance, Bigwig felt anger boil inside of him. His claws embedded in the ground. He was about to lash out at him when he heard a quiet groan. The anger faded, replaced by genuine concern for his doe. Lily's head tossed slightly. Her eyes flickered open only a little bit. Her vision was half blurry, but she recognized Bigwig, Hazel, Fiver, Holly, Buckthorn, Blackberry, Bluebell and Silver. The doe's head throbbed in such extreme pain, making her release an agitated squeal.

"She might be hurt!" Bigwig cried, distressed. "We've got to get her back to Watership Down!"

Lily felt her vision slip away, especially the vision of her friends crowding around her with deep concern. The last thing she saw was Bigwig's mouth assuring her, "Lily... Hold on..." just as everything went black.


	11. Romance Fayre

_Lily... _a mysterious female voice began calling to the doe, _Lily... can you hear me?_

Awoken by the voice, Lily found herself staring at her own unconscious body with horror and confusion. Had she died? Was she to go to heaven? She wanted to cry or panic, until she heard the soft female's voice beckoning her.

_Lily..._

To her astonishment, a black doe entered the burrow where Lily's body lay. Lily noticed the black doe to be very beautiful, her black fur shining like the water's surface in the moonlight and she had dark red eyes that sparkled like rubies but cast no light. Lily didn't know whether to be afraid or feel calm with a strange doe standing in the same burrow with her.

"Hello, Lily." The black doe greeted in such a polite and gentle manner, but her voice felt like falling water echoing in the dark.

"Who are you, and how do you know my name?" Lily asked.

"I go by many names and many forms, but your people know me as the Black Rabbit of Inle."

"You're the..." Lily instantly grew frightened, trembling as she remembered Bigwig's warning if any rabbit looks upon the face of the Black Rabbit on Inle, she will take them to the land beyond the living. She turned away, her eyes shut. "It's not my time to die! I don't want to die! I need my friends!"

"You needn't worry about that, because your time has not come." The Black Rabbit calmly assured her, approaching the timid doe and used her paw to angle Lily's face up to look at her. "Even though all walk with me, eventually."

Opening her eyes, Lily could see the black doe was not determined to take her soul as she gazed deep into her blue eyes with those gentle red orbs putting her at ease, though she admitted, "But every rabbit fears you and death, so do I. I don't want to die. All I did was rescue Fiver from Charlock, I don't want to leave my friends too soon..." It was now she realized the events that recently occurred, showing she understood how important Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig and every rabbit in Watership Down had meant so dearly to her. "My friends! Are they safe?"

"There is no more to fear in death than in the passing of the seasons," the Black Rabbit softly replied. "As for why I'm here, I came because I want to speak to you. I have seen your actions, though I advise you to be careful of what you do. As for your family, you needn't worry about them. They are safe."

"Family? No, you don't understand. I already have a family! Henry is-"

"Henry is gone... gone to the afterlife where the humans go... I'm sorry."

An icy claw grasped at Lily's heart, if she was still in her body, as she stared at the black doe, mortified. "No..." she sobbed.

The Black Rabbit gave her a stern yet saddened frown. "The child was mauled by General Woundwort. The fire was his doing because he believed the humans were in his way."

Eyes enlarged at this revelation, the anger and rage boiled as Lily furiously wailed, "I'll _kill_ him! **I'LL KILL WOUNDWORT!**"

"There is no need for revenge!" The Black Rabbit's red eyes gleamed brightly to stare her down, warning her not to commit another murderous deed and it frightened Lily for a second. "Will it make you feel better if you had killed Woundwort? An eye for an eye only ends up making you blind and it destroys the lives of all," then she calmed down as she smiled gently, "but your cunning and emotions will serve a better purpose."

"What do you mean?" Lily raised an eyebrow, her anger fading.

"If you keep this knowledge close to you, I promise you that you will be a truly great warrior and mother, one worthy of joining my Owsla." And with those words spoken, the Black Rabbit of Inle departed the burrow.

No sooner had the supernatural doe vanished, Lily regained consciousness. Her head shot up, searching for the Black Rabbit of Inle but she had vanished. She was glad to be back in her own body. The doe's head was a bit sore after last night's tumble downhill when escaping the Efrafan soldiers and the train. She noticed the mark on her leg had been healed, though the scar remained where it is. The burrow she found herself in, Lily didn't know whether if she was back in Watership Down or recaptured in Efrafa. A familiar voice she heard was enough evidence for where she is.

"Oh, brambles! Thank Frith, your alright." It was Strawberry, who had kept watch over her and the burrow ever since the search party had returned with their missing friends, and assisted Blackberry in tending to Lily's injuries, including Blackberry's own injury and the injuries of Holly, Bluebell and Fiver. The red doe gave Lily a big hug, and she returned it with equal affection.

"Hello, Strawberry. Did any other rabbit come in here while I was asleep?" Lily asked, wondering if the red doe had seen the Black Rabbit of Inle.

"No, the only rabbits here are you, me, and everybody else outside." Strawberry shook her head. "Why do you ask?"

Before Lily could answer her, the two does overheard their friends arguing outside the warren beneath the small cluster of trees.

"Holly, is this Efrafa place as bad as Bluebell says?" questioned Bigwig.

"It's far worse, and you can't imagine it until you've been there," replied Holly, before he sounded quite remorseful over what he said next. "Bigwig, I understand you hold it out against me for my behavior toward Lily, but I apologize for how I behaved. I was wrong."

"It could've gotten Lily killed by these Efrafans if you hadn't forced her to run off like that!"

"There's no point in making Holly feel guilty," Hazel reprimanded. "He's had a rough time in Efrafa, no better than the others."

"You shouldn't hold a grudge forever, Bigwig." Lily staggered out of the burrow with Strawberry's support where everyone turned their heads toward her, as she repeated what the Black Rabbit of Inle told her. "It will blind you and destroy the lives of those around you."

"Lily!" Bigwig exclaimed, relief washed over him as he swept her in a loving embrace. "Oh, thank Frith and all Prince Rainbow's messengers!" He held her the longest as though fearful of letting go and she would disappear forever.

Everybody else rejoiced to see Lily still alive and in one piece as the rabbits, including Kehaar and Hannah, rushed forward to tackle her in a warm group hug, much to Bigwig's chagrin. Lily had never felt so at peace and happiness to have such rabbits in her life. Grief stung her in the heart to learn Henry is dead, but she would never forget him. The Black Rabbit of Inle was right. These rabbits are more than her friends, they are her family. Her new family.

"We're glad to have you back with us." Hazel smiled in relief as he and Holly were the last to join their group hug.

"Guys, I can hardly breathe!" Lily protested, feeling a bit suffocated.

Everybody released her from their group hug, allowing her to breathe, though Pipkin lingered the last to nuzzle his head in her chest before he stepped back.

"We thought the Black Rabbit of Inle would have taken you," Pipkin said.

"Hehe. Funny you should mention the Black Rabbit because..." Lily chuckled, awkwardly.

"Captain Holly was about to tell us of your experience in Efrafa," Hannah added, interrupting her.

Lily wanted to tell everyone how she met the Black Rabbit of Inle, but decided to save it for another time. "Well, being in Efrafa is like living in a prison," she said. "The does have no freedom, they are treated like slaves. Their wide patrols are the biggest and strongest rabbits you have ever seen."

"A lot of us wouldn't be enough to fight one of their wide patrols," Holly added.

"What do you mean?" Bigwig asked.

Holly displayed the scar on his leg, still marked but slightly healed. "You see this?" As he did so, Lily, Blackberry, Bluebell and Fiver revealed the scars on their legs as well. "They did it to us. It's an identification mark. Tells when you can be above ground."

"What do you mean? Who's to stop you?"

"Their Owsla..." Holly hesitated, "their chief is called Woundwort - General Woundwort. He's bigger than a hare, a white scar across his left eye, and the most grim and savage rabbit you have ever seen. I don't think even you'd match up to him, Bigwig. Under him are his Captains, each one in charge of a Mark. If you're found above ground at the wrong time or if you make any attempt to escape the warren, they take you before the Council for punishment."

"Some of them must get away," Bigwig figured.

"They caught one trying to escape when we were there, the very same dark rabbit I told you about earlier when I said my group thought we found you, but this poor wretch with the torn ears," Holly described. "Blackavar is his name. When they'd finish with him, both his ears were ripped to shreds...worse than his one of mine. He was lucky not to have been killed. There was another one - a doe, Hyzenthlay. We couldn't have escaped without her help."

"Why didn't she go with you?" Silver asked.

"She said she wouldn't go without the others," Holly explained. "I promised her that I would get her out of there."

"Then there are some that might be persuaded to leave?" Hazel deduced.

"Oh, yes." Holly frowned, doubtfully. "But you'd never get them out of Efrafa."

"Well, you and the others got out," Dandelion pointed out.

"Only because Lord Frith sent one of his great messengers."

"Actually, it was called a train," Lily corrected. "I had a plan to lure our pursuers to the railroad tracks where trains usually run on them. I figured we could lose the Efrafans there, and it worked, despite almost getting run down by the train."

"What happened to the Efrafans when they almost caught you?" Hawkbit questioned.

"I didn't see what happened to them. The train must have cut them down." Lily shrugged, not sure if Charlock and Bugloss were killed or not, until a dismal frown spread across her face. "But I do hope Hyzenthlay will be alright. Who knows what kind of punishment the Council will give her for helping us escape."

Holly's eyes had a pained horror, and his claws embedded in the earth. Lily and Hazel exchanged sad frowns, they could tell he was dreadfully concerned for Hyzenthlay.

"Don't worry, we'll find a way to get them out, including Hyzenthlay and Blackavar," assured Hazel, sympathizing the worried grey buck.

"Listen, before I got captured by their wide patrol, I heard them say they consider all outsiders a threat, and they won't rest until they killed us all," Lily explained, remembering her eavesdropping on the Efrafan wide patrol and had wanted to warn her friends. "They mean to discover our warren and wipe us out!"

Everyone began mumbling or talking, frightened.

"Are you sure, Lily?" Hazel asked. "Why would they want that?"

"Those are their own words, Hazel-rah." Lily frowned, warily. "If you had been there, you would know what kind of hell their warren is. I couldn't bare to be held down and have my leg marked by a rabbit bigger than me, or to watch those does treated like dirt."

Bigwig's paws tightened in fury, silently fuming. He couldn't imagine what kind of tortures Lily had to endure while in Efrafa, especially imagining this savage buck forcibly holding her down and burying his claw in her leg when she was to be marked. What if he didn't mark her, and he'd tried taking advantage of her. It only made him angrier and more determined to protect her. "I think it's time we start focusing on defending our warren. I need an Owsla!" he announced, decidedly.

Everybody turned to stare at him, speechless.

"Bigwig, in case you haven't forgotten, we still need to keep digging and the warren isn't entirely finished yet," Blackberry objected.

"Digging is doe's work!" Bigwig stated. "I, for one, refuse to dig!"

"Same here." Silver folded his arms.

"Bigwig's got a point there," Hawkbit agreed.

"I agree." Bluebell yawned, rudely.

"Me too, digging is definitely doe's work," added Dandelion.

"You can count us in as well!" Acorn exclaimed, while Buckthorn and Speedwell frowned in agreement.

"Strawberry, Lily and myself are the only does!" Blackberry refused to do all the chores unless she had help. "Do you think we should just build the warren by ourselves?"

"But, Bigwig-" Hazel protested to no avail.

An argument erupted among the crowd of rabbits about agreeing or disagreeing about whether the bucks should cooperate in the digging or not. Lily was the only one silent, thinking about what the Black Rabbit of Inle meant about her becoming a warrior and a mother. She doesn't have offspring nor did she have a mate, but she does have the courage to risk her life for her family, that is considered the spirit of a warrior. Her thoughts stopped when she heard Bigwig speak again.

"No! My job is defense. Holly and I have an Owsla to train." Bigwig could see Holly staring at him in surprise at his sudden asking for his help to train an Owsla, but the former captain was glad to have earned the lion buck's trust again. Bigwig's eyes studied the bucks in present that he would pick to be members for the new Owsla. "Hawkbit... Dandelion... Bluebell... Silver... Acorn... Buckthorn... Speedwell... Pipkin, I want you lot in our Owsla!"

"Really, Bigwig?" Pipkin grew excited. "Wow!"

"Well, Silver and I do have experience in the Owsla back in Sandleford," boasted Buckthorn.

The other bucks were surprised at being picked to join an Owsla, but neither of them argued as this was their chance to get out of digging.

"But until the warren is finished, what is there to defend?" questioned Blackberry.

"Our very lives." As he spoke, Bigwig's eyes lingered on Lily. "Efrafa isn't like any warren we've ever heard of, they are vicious and bloodthirsty!" Then he turned to Hazel, scorning. "You want to dig a burrow, Hazel, and I did, that's fine then. But my number one priority is Military Exercises!" The lion buck began hopping, or pacing, back and forth, devising his plan to military defense.

"Hey, hey! Military exercises!" Kehaar flapped his wings, excited at the idea of joining a military.

Bigwig kept on hopping with a grim determination in his eyes. "We must be prepared for an attack at any moment."

"Yeah, we must be prepared!" Kehaar agreed, and as he flapped his wings, the vibrations knocked an acorn off a branch and it fell, landing on Hannah's head. "You see?" The seagull grinned, whilst the mouse glared up in his direction, until Kehaar whispered in her ear of a plan.

"But we can't just leave the does doing all the work in digging!" protested Hazel, trying to be firm.

"Huh! Take all the diggers you want, I need every buck for the Owsla!" Bigwig scoffed, refusing defiantly. "We must defend the warren!"

"But there isn't a warren to defend, Bigwig, we're not nearly finished!" Blackberry objected, approaching him.

"We've got to keep digging, if only so to hide if there is a threat!" Hazel exclaimed.

"Oh, there is a threat, Hazel! We could be struck at any moment!" No sooner Bigwig finished speaking, a tree nut dropped on his head and the impact made him fall back.

This momentarily surprised everyone to what just happened. Then Kehaar soared downward from the air, allowing Hannah to jump off from the gull's back and pounced on Bigwig, the second impact knocked him down. Bigwig opened his eyes to find Hannah laying his broad chest. Lily giggled amusingly at the scene, her laughter sounded like the chimes of snowbell flowers in the breeze, in Bigwig's perspective.

"You surprised now, eh Bigwig?" Hannah asked, half chuckling.

But Bigwig was not amused at all. "Kindly remove yourself from my chest," he warned, threateningly.

The mouse immediately jumped off his chest. Hawkbit and Hazel helped Bigwig back on his feet. The lion buck didn't like to be humiliated like this in front of his darling doe, hearing Lily giggle at watching him get hit on the head by an acorn, even though he secretly found her laughter entrancing.

"Are you alright, Bigwig?" Hawkbit asked.

"Of course!" Bigwig dusted himself off, then he demanded, "What's the meaning of this?"

"This is military exercise, Pigvig, you must be proud," declared Kehaar.

"Certainly not!" Bigwig scorned.

Hannah covered her mouth to try hiding her laughter. "But you're surprised, Bigwig."

"Yes, you looked surprise when nut hit you." Kehaar couldn't bare to hide his laughter. "Bing! Pigvig fall down!"

Bigwig would have exploded at them for their childish behavior, but he didn't want to be the bad guy in front of Lily. "This is no laughing matter!" he shouted.

"Is what I say, much serious matter. Stop laughing, Hanya!" Kehaar immediately tried to get back on his good side.

Hannah gulped, nervously. "Don't laugh."

"Please to continue," Kehaar added in a posh accent.

"We must form an Owsla, immediately!" Bigwig gestured his chosen bucks to come forward and begin their military training instantly.

An idea formed inside Lily's mind for both parties to work things out without causing a dilemma. "You're right, Bigwig, we should set up a patrol. And Hazel is right, we need diggers to create a bigger warren," she said. Stunned, Hazel and Bigwig opened their mouths to say something but closed it when Lily continued, "But we need to keep digging, so how about we split up into two groups; one group to dig and the second group to defense. Is that fair to everyone?"

Impressed, Hazel realized that needing an Owsla to defend their warren from the Efrafans and a band of diggers to have his group dig. Bigwig thought this over for a moment, understanding Lily has a point with an idea to the solution. The other rabbits discussed and whispered among themselves about this plan, reaching an agreement whilst some of them protested to no avail.

"That's an excellent idea, Lily," commended Hazel.

"I suppose half an Owsla is better than nothing," relented Bigwig.

Hazel assigned to one half of the group. "Holly, Hawkbit, Silver, Buckthorn, Bluebell, Dandelion and Pipkin can join your patrol." Then he assigned to the other half. "That leaves Fiver, Blackberry, Speedwell, Acorn, Strawberry, Lily and me to continue digging."

Kehaar came in front of Bigwig again. "Pigvig, we like to volunteer in the Owsla," he volunteered.

"Yes, you must want us now, Bigwig," Hannah imitated the gull's accent.

"Certainly not! I have no time for birds or mice!" Bigwig turned his head away, behaving like a bigot. It wasn't because of their sneak attack stunt they pulled, but because he doesn't want to have a seagull and a mouse part of the Owsla.

"But Hannah has interesting ideas, Bigwig." Blackberry tried to change his mind. "And from the sky, Kehaar can do advanced scouting."

"You're in charge of digging, Blackberry. I'll look out for the Owsla!" As Bigwig finished back-talking her, he started on his way to a clearing down hill where both he and Holly can train their bucks.

Kehaar and Hannah pouted, believing Bigwig never wanted them. Lily felt sorry for them, but couldn't say anything comforting.

"That's it then, let's start digging," Blackberry announced, and the other rabbits followed her back into the warren, while Kehaar and Hannah secretly followed Bigwig and his Owsla.

Lily glanced back at the Owlsa one last time in concern before returning to the warren. So throughout the morning, every rabbit in the burrow began digging the warren to build new burrows for every rabbit who lived on the down now. So far, everybody made good progress, as Blackberry praised encouragingly. Strawberry was the fastest digger in the warren, probably having grown to like it or determined to prove herself to the rabbits. As far as Lily knew, the red doe did prove herself when Hawkbit and Dandelion were starting to fight over courting her, and the idea of bringing more does to the warren could have worked had Efrafa not been cruel to their request for some does. And what about the planned raid to Nuthanger farm to liberate Clover and whoever she has with her as hutch roommates? Looking at Hazel digging by lonesome with a solemn frown, the doe thought about asking him how it played out.

"Hazel..." she asked, approaching him and assisted in digging a burrow for him.

"What is it, Lily?" Hazel glanced up at her.

"I remember you mentioned your plan to liberate Clover from the farm, so I just thought if I'd ask you how it went?"

Hazel stared at the wall in silence to her question, then he sighed. "Are you sure you want to know?"

"Yeah, it could pass the time while we're digging," Lily insisted.

"Very well." Hazel sighed, beginning his tale of the events on Nuthanger farm during the time Lily's group had been in Efrafa. "Bigwig, Pipkin and myself left for the farm before sunset. We crept through the gate and ventured into the farm." Most of the rabbits busy digging listened carefully to the story. "No humans were out, it was too quiet, except the two dogs snoring in their kennels, and no sign of the cat. But we kept our stealth at complete silence as we crept passed the sleeping dogs. The three of us got inside the empty barn and found two hutch cages ahead of us on piled on human crates I think. We overheard two humans arguing inside their house, mentioning a human named Lucy or whatever else they spoke of. Bigwig kept watch as Pipkin and I spoke to Clover..."

* * *

_"Hello!" Hazel called, poking his nose at the second cage above the empty one beneath him. _

_At first, no answer. And then, Clover appeared when she heard his voice, gasping in surprise. "Hazel! I knew you'd come back!" she exclaimed. "When I first met you days ago, I knew it wasn't a dream. I kept telling my friends here that there are other rabbits living under the sky."_

_"Hello, my name is Pipkin!" the young buck introduced himself from the pile of wood he stood on._

_"Ohhh, aren't you adorable?" Haystack (an amber eyed doe with golden blonde and white underbelly fur) cooed affectionately as her paw reached out to give the disgruntled Pipkin's cheek a playful pinch. Then she noticed Hazel and Bigwig, gasping warily. "Oh! Who are you?"_

_"Oh, Haystack! This is Hazel, the rabbit whom I've been telling you about," Clover introduced._

_"We've come to get you to... to break you free," said Hazel._

_"To get me free?" Clover chuckled, sounding delighted with the idea of living in the wild._

_Haystack and three other does named Boxwood (a brown-eyed doe, with pale orange and white underbelly fur, white and black eye markings), Laurel (a very short haired angora doe, with red eyes, black and grey beige underbelly fur), and Cornflower (a red-eyed black and white Himalayan doe) began to talk and whisper, worried or unsure about this unexpected offer. _

_"What do you mean he's come to free us?" Boxwood questioned, warily. "Would we still live in the hutch?"_

_Clover decided to explain it to her fellow does, showing great enthusiasm for a chance to live a life outside a hutch. "When you're free, you live underground in fields, you can eat when you want, you can even run about, can't you, Hazel?" The buck nodded in her response. "Listen, you need to be quick. The humans are inside, but sometimes they come out to get firewood."_

_Hazel and Pipkin began chewing on the leather straps holding the door of the hutch. _

_"It won't give," said Hazel, "let me try again."_

_"Okay, there are two straps that hold the door in place," Clover advised. "I think they are made of something soft."_

_"Alright, Bigwig. Stay sharp," Hazel instructed._

_"I'm always sharp, Hazel," Bigwig declared. "Bigwig doesn't get distracted."_

_A crash came from inside the farm house. The farmer's wife ranting at her husband for breaking her grandmother's plate. It momentarily frightened the rabbits, but thankfully it didn't wake up the dogs nor did the humans come outside. Sighing in relief, Bigwig assured them that it was nothing serious. Hazel and Pipkin worked together to try and unlock the cage._

_"Hello, who are you?" Clover asked, noticing the lion buck down below._

_"Me? I'm Bigwig. Good to meet you." Bigwig introduced himself, bowing politely like a gentle-rabbit._

_However, this was the only distraction Bigwig had committed, unaware of a small doggie door swinging back and forth. Tabitha wasn't the only cat on the farm. Puss, an orange furred and green-eyed American shorthaired cat, is on the prowl. He had seen the rabbits in the barn and, licking his lips hungrily, growling silently as he hid himself in the shadows to catch his prey off guard, mostly Bigwig._

_"Since I first saw you, I dreamed of this day," Clover longingly expressed her dream of a free life outside the walls without kept locked up. "You don't know what it's like living in a box. Not being able to see the sky, I just want to be able to run, Hazel."_

_"You will, I promise you," Hazel promised, then he wondered, "Why do they keep you in this thing?"_

_"I don't know, I guess is I think they're being kind to us," Clover explained. "The humans aren't completely bad. In fact, that little girl seems quite nice. I think they just lack understanding."_

_But Hazel still doubted such a thing as good humans. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to believe that." He was still reeling in from the horror of Holly's story of the Sandleford massacre and Cowslip's warren surrendering themselves to humans._

_However, Pipkin ran into trouble as the leather strap is too tight for him. "It's too tight to the wood, I can't get my teeth around it."_

_"Stand away from the door," Hazel commanded. "Pipkin, help me push it inwards."_

_Working together, the two wild rabbits began loosening the door by pushing the door with their bodies against it to give it all their might._

_"Faster, faster!" urged Clover._

_"Are you inside yet?" asked Bigwig, impatiently._

_Before the door could get open, there came a familiar shriek and a growl._

_"BIGWIG!" Clover shouted._

_Bigwig turned around just as Puss charged forward. But he did not falter as the lion buck stood his ground, the two engaged in fierce combat. Scratching and clawing at each other violently, the two adversaries stood in the same height when locked in battle. The hutch rabbits watched in dreaded concern, whilst Hazel and Pipkin looked on, when the ferocious feline pinned him down._

_"Get off me, you flea-bitten fur ball!" yelled Bigwig, kicking the cat off his body with all of his strength._

_"Get out of here, you have to help Bigwig!" exclaimed Clover._

_Resuming the battle, Bigwig got bitten and tossed aside like a rag doll by the cat. Before Puss could finish him off, Hazel tackled the cat into a pile of tractor parts. The farmer's wife began shouting from inside the house, overhearing the noise and complaining about the cat. The two dogs were awoken and started barking angrily at the intruders._

_"Leave! I'll be fine." Clover insisted, ushered the wild rabbits to make their escape before the humans come out._

_"We need to go!" Hazel ordered, forcing his two companions to run across the yard and out into the open field._

_It was a good thing Puss didn't pursue them because the humans had just come out of the house, unknowingly allowing the wild rabbits to escape pass the fence and stone hedge. They stopped to rest on a hill overlooking the far. Their plan to liberate the does had ended in failure, and Bigwig angrily began calling out on Hazel for making them leave without success._

_"I could have held off that cat for you to get into the hutch, but you blew the whole damn scheme by being too squeamish!" Bigwig scorned. "What in the name of Frith has gotten into you?"_

_"I'm leader, Bigwig. That's what's got into me!" Hazel justified his actions as being the leader of their warren._

_"Oh! YOU'RE leader?" Bigwig chuckled, questioning his leadership. "A leader who could drown in a puddle of water!" His insult forced Hazel to stop in his tracks, shocked. Bigwig studied his eyes, adding, "Oh, you've got the fear in you. I can see it in your eyes. Your mind's going tharn. That's the truth of it."_

_In response to Bigwig's harsh words, Hazel defensively protects himself by stating, "The truth of it is that if I make one bad decision, like the Threarah did at Sandleford, we all end up DEAD!"_

_A frightened Pipkin watched the two bucks staring angrily at each other before Hazel moves ahead, leaving a fuming Bigwig behind until he left to return to the down._

* * *

"That brawl was enough to imply that I make decisions with all of our friends in mind, but Bigwig makes decisions based on how he would respond to them," Hazel concluded the end of his tale.

"It means you are cautious and Bigwig is reckless," Lily figured. "But it means you're still effected by the loss of Sandleford." Hazel nodded, before she continued, "And Clover is still right on one thing; not all humans are bad, like Henry, for instance."

"After our return to the down, we learned of Holly's departure to Efrafa and you weren't anywhere close by," Hazel continued, avoiding the talk about humans. "I was worried about Fiver, and Bigwig grew worried sick about you."

"If he worries about me so much, why does he have an attitude?" wondered Lily, thinking back to those times on their journey to the high hills. "I know he once told me that he's fond of me, but he needs to control his temper."

"I guess it's because he was trained in the Owsla," Hazel guessed.

Suddenly a part of the roof collapsed and Lily was completely buried under a huge pile of dirt. The other rabbits began frantically digging the pile of dirt aside, until Lily's head popped out of the top of the dirt pile, unharmed.

"You're filthy!" coughed Strawberry, as the dust of the collapsed roof spread everywhere.

"Why don't you go take a break, Lily?" Blackberry suggested. "We'll clean up from here."

"Okay, thanks." Lily nodded, then hopped out of the warren and trotted downhill.

Leaving the warren and trotting downhill, then finding a river and a small waterfall close by on the down, Lily cautiously dipped her paw underneath the falling water to find it cool, not exactly cold but perfect. She walked underneath the pouring water, feeling it wash away the dirt from her fur and soaking her entire body. Her hind legs stood up taller than usual as she brushed her ears back to scoop some dirt off, scrubbing her back and stomach to get rid of the leftover dirt. Lily began to sing 'Bright Eyes' while she stood under the pouring water for a little longer to relax.

"_Bright eyes_... _burning like fire_..." her angelic voice drifted in the wind like the petals of a flower detached from its bud, "_how can the light that burns so brightly, suddenly __burn so far_... _bright eyes_..." Lily's mind wandered back to Hazel's story of his failed raid, and an idea sprung into her like a newborn bunny hopping for the first time. Maybe if she and Hazel could go back to Nuthanger farm and tried again, this time at dark when the humans are asleep. "I suppose it could work..." then she resumed her singing.

Not far from where she was at, Bigwig had returned from military exercising his newly trained Owsla. He had been quite harsh and firm to his pupils, pointing out all harmless mistakes or reprimanding them for naivety for some things, although Silver and Buckthorn had experience in the Owsla, they couldn't escape Bigwig's lectures. Holly, on the other hand, was the opposite of Bigwig. Although Holly maintained his usual authority self like he was back in Sandleford, he was more gentle and encouraging toward his Owsla, therefore lecturing Bigwig on his controlling nature. All he got was a shout in the face from the stubborn Bigwig, proclaiming himself Captain of Owsla and he will run things the way he wants. Silver and Buckthorn had to break up the argument, because they spotted Efrafan patrols far away in the distance, so the Watership Owsla had to lead them in a different direction to keep the Efrafans away from their warren. Pipkin got separated, so Bigwig had to rescue him and he would never have made it had Kehaar and Hannah come to the rescue by dropping nuts on the Efrafan wide patrol, allowing Bigwig and Pipkin to escape, later joining the other rabbits to make their getaway.

Once Bigwig and his Owsla reached the edge of the down, his ears twitched when catching a familiar feminine voice in the atmosphere. Telling the others to go back to the down while he investigated this strange new voice, imagine Bigwig's surprise when he found Lily under a little waterfall by the river and singing to herself. As he watched her, he couldn't help admiring how her melody relieved him of the stress of training his Owsla. He admired how shiny and smooth her fur looked when wet. Her body so slim and beautiful. As she stood up higher on her hind legs, he caught a glimpse of her private area between her legs. The look in his eyes enlarged, a look of desire and lust overtaking him. The things Bigwig could do with her body made a bulge rise up between his legs, though he tried to stop it as his face flushed red. His claws embedded in the ground and his breathing became heavy. Bigwig wanted to jump out and claim Lily as his mate, the urge taking absolute control of ever fiber of his physical being.

"Hello, Bigwig. I didn't hear you coming." Lily's sweet voice brought the lion buck's thought back to reality.

"Uh, hehe, h-h-hello Lily," Bigwig stuttered, nervously. He regained his composure to not try anything stupid to her. "I... uh..." He fumbled over his words but he couldn't quite pick the right ones.

Lily crawled out of her private shower, shaking the water's contents off her body. Then she started grooming herself to straight out her fur. "How did the training go?" she asked.

"Err, not quite as I had planned," Bigwig explained, solemnly. "We almost got caught by the Efrafans, and they're just as you and Holly described."

Frozen in fear, Lily gazed up at him with horror in her eyes. "Oh, no! Please tell me no one got hurt, right?"

"No worries, lass. We're all safe." Bigwig assured her, beckoned to help out in the grooming as he dragged his tongue gently on her fur.

Lily did not object to Bigwig's assistant in grooming her. She was glad to feel his tongue on her fur, relishing it in with a longing sigh. It got Bigwig's engine going when he heard her response. A sly grin spread across his lips as he decided to take it further. He wanted her. His body craved for her. Bigwig made his way up to her face, his right arm circled around her waist to pull her against him, and began to lick at the fur of her neck.

The doe gasped in surprise. "Bigwig, what are you... Ohhh... Aaah…" a deep moan escaped her lips before she could question his behavior. Her body responded to his touches, feeling one paw slide up her waist to her chest to grasp at it, like a man grasping the breast of a woman during a moment of passion.

"Ohhh... Lily..." the lion buck groaned between licking at her neck. The sense of arousal growing stronger by the minute, igniting the passion he created between them. Inhaling her scent encouraged him to tilt her head up to look at him, closing the gap between them.

In that moment, Bigwig touched his nose with her own and stayed like this for a short moment. Lily stared at him, at first she believed he was going to kiss her, but obviously he preferred the old fashioned ways of courting. Didn't he learn anything whenever Bluebell tried to kiss Blackberry? Her eyes shifted toward his lips and, without having second thoughts, grabs his face to press his lips against hers. Lily's heart leapt up in her throat, feeling emotions she had never felt in a long time. She knew how much she really liked that impetuous lion maned buck and truly cared about him. This is what the Black Rabbit of Inle meant when she called her a mother. Lily is going to be mates with Bigwig, and produce a litter of their own. She probably foresaw Lily's future, something that even Fiver could have done if he just came out and say it.

As for Bigwig, his eyes grew wider when he felt those soft lips press against his own. He had never been kissed by a doe before, let alone touch noses with one. His mind gone blank as he gave in, closing his eyes as he returned the kiss with equal passion. He realized at once that he truly loved her. His strong arms circle around her back, bringing her closer than ever. He felt her arms circle around his neck to deepen their kiss. Bigwig decided to make it rough by slipping his tongue into her mouth. Lily felt him do this as she glided her tongue into his mouth, her paw clutching at the mane on his head.

The two rabbits had never felt such an intense passion before and neither of them wanted to stop this moment. Tongues danced around buck teeth and twining around the other in a battle for dominance, moaning heavily in each other's mouths, breathing through their noses, and forcing Bigwig to lower her down to the grass, where he will be ready to take the next step in mating, though this is highly unlikely for rabbits to do this kind of thing for making out like this. Thanks to Lily, the lion buck was open to new ideas in claiming her as his mate. Just as he was about to begin the commitment of mating when...

"Bigwig! Lily! Where are you?!" Holly's voice echoed from the high hills at a distance.

The eyes of the two rabbit lovers shot open, pulling apart from each other with reluctance. Their faces flushed red and taking deep breaths from that intense kiss, though wiping their mouths to remove the saliva that connect their lips together when they separated.

"Well... that was, uh..." Lily stammered, as she couldn't find the words to explain it.

"Wonderful." Bigwig finished her sentence, glancing a warm smile in her direction. "Maybe when I'm not busy, we should do this again more often."

"That's a good idea." Lily nodded, before she added, "But let's keep this between us for now, okay?"

"Right!" Bigwig agreed, rubbing the back of his neck. "They'd never let me hear the end of it if they knew what just happened."

No sooner the two rabbits left their private spot for romance, they had failed to notice Kehaar and Hannah with their mouths open and their eyes so wide they could pop any second now. They didn't know whether to be overjoyed that two rabbits found love, or to be freaked out by this unusual make out session Bigwig and Lily shared between them, especially catching Bigwig's little buck arousing within his legs was enough to disgust the pair.

"Ooookaaaay, is this what the rabbits do when we're not around?" droned Hannah.

"We must never speak of this again," Kehaar responded, stupefied.

"Good idea, now let's get back to the down and not a word of this to Hazel or anybody else!" Hannah said, before she climbed on the gull's back so he can take off for flight and back to the down.

Arriving back on Watership Down, Bigwig and Lily kept a slight distance so no one can suspect what occurred between then, other than Kehaar and Hannah behaving awkwardly. Hazel and Fiver were engaged in conversation with Strawberry about digging an extra hole for an escape root just in case, when they noticed the Owsla returning to the warren.

"Hazel, we just encountered the Efrafans and they're just as dangerous as I suspected," Bigwig reported. "We must make major changes to the warren to assume adequate defense. The work must start immediately."

"And just who will do all this extra digging, Bigwig?" questioned Blackberry, scorning as she believed he was going to suggest another absurd idea.

"I will, and so will my Owsla!" Bigwig announced, creating a chorus of shocked gasps from everyone.

"But I thought digging was doe's work." Hazel smirked.

"Ah, but this is defensive digging," Bigwig stated, making an excuse to avoid the early argument. "Holly and I talked about it. We reached an agreement to dig." He looked over to see Lily smiling proudly at him, which made his heart soar to see her smile at him like that. "OWSLA! Initiate digging procedures!" he commanded with great authority.

"Oh, brambles!" cheered Strawberry. "That's wonderful, Bigwig. Good for you."

"Uh, agreed." Dandelion eyed the red doe flirtatiously. "I'll help Strawberry with the digging while Hawkbit feeds Kehaar."

Hawkbit didn't like the idea at all, glaring darkly at the blonde buck. "No way! Why don't you feed Kehaar?"

"I don't know, maybe I'm afraid he'll mortally wound me," retorted Dandelion.

"Well, there's no way I'm digging like a doe!" Silver refused. "I'm better off acting like a buck and joining the Owsla."

"Come on, guys. Why can't we continue with more training?" Pipkin pleaded, eager to get out of digging despite the harshness of military training.

"I'd rather lie in the sun and eat clover all day," sighed Bluebell.

"Now, listen here you lazy lot-" Holly prepared to lecture them for their rudeness.

The rest of the bucks began to angrily protest or complain, but the scowl in Bigwig's eyes prepared him to give the other bucks a good thrashing for refusing to obey orders until...

"SLUGS IN A BURROW, STOP!" Strawberry exploded, as she pounded her front paws in the earth, finally fed up with the bucks' arrogance and complaints. "You are all helping us dig the warren and I don't want to hear another word out of either of you, or we won't be friends anymore!"

Everyone stared at the red doe in disbelief of her behavior. Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig, Lily, Blackberry and Holly were deeply impressed with Strawberry taking command of the situation, finding it amusing if she were part of the Owsla, she would have made a remarkable captain. The rest of the bucks exchanged baffled glances at each other.

"Oh, ho, ho, ho!" Kehaar chortled, amused at the bucks embarrassing themselves in front of a doe. "You boys have quite a way with the females. How can you resist such charm?" The sooner every rabbit left to start digging, Kehaar began to feel hungry and said, "Hey, wait! What about my worms?"

Hannah sighed, "I'll find you some worms, Kehaar."


	12. The Raid

_**Author's Note: The reason I made five hutch rabbits was after listening to a BBC radio drama of Watership Down, they renamed Haystack to Cornflower, which I don't mind at all, and I figured with two hutch rabbits caught, Laurel won't be lonely when recaptured and Boxwood can escape. Having two cats on the farm was used in the original novel, and in the Netflix series, the orange cat is named Puss by the farmer's wife when reading the subtitles on screen, so what the heck, I'll give them two cats that will pose a problem for Hazel and friends. I discovered storyboard sketches from the Watership Down miniseries where the farmer's wife is named Winnifred/Winnie. As for the two farmhands, one of them was called John in the original 1978 movie who shot Hazel, and the name Billy came from an older radio theatre drama for Watership Down as the farmer who shoots Hazel.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

It was late that night when every rabbit, including Kehaar and Hannah, were sleeping peacefully in their newly dug up burrows until Lily, who shared a burrow with Bigwig for obvious reasons, cocked an ear when she overheard two rabbits talking in one of the burrows. She recognized the voices belonged to Hazel and Fiver, as the two brothers were engaged in private conversation.

"I want her free, but Bigwig is right. The fear is taking all of me." Hazel was talking about Clover, and his failure to free her from that hutch of a prison.

"What are you afraid of, brother?" asked Fiver.

"It's Holly, ever since he told me about what the humans did to the old warren, I've not been able to stop thinking about it. It follows me into my dreams. What if it breaks me?"

"I'll just have to put you back together again."

Lily smiled warmly at the younger brother's solace toward his elder brother. She wished of having a sister of her own to share secrets with or comfort her when there's trouble.

After a moment of silence, Hazel suggested, "I'd feel a lot better about going back in there if you'd see something."

"No, I don't want to go beyond anymore," Fiver refused. "Just as the weight of knowing what's past is crushing you, so am I crushed, by the weight of knowing what may become."

"All right," Hazel apologized. "I'm sorry."

"If I ask you of this, you'll never ask me again..." Fiver said, his voice oddly calm. "Leave me."

All of a sudden, Lily could hear Fiver drawing in a sharp gasp and started to moan in agony. The doe grew concerned, even though she knew the visions started in Fiver's head. If only she knew what vision he predicted, it would make her feel better. She was glad his voice didn't awaken the entire warren, probably every rabbit here is a heavy sleeper.

Fiver had suddenly fallen to the ground when a familiar chill entered him, causing him to moan and gasp in agony, and ignoring his older brother's concerned words. When the runt gradually opened his eyes, he found himself in a forest; the forest of his mind. Trees all around him took on a menacing form, dark shadows lurking within the forest. No sign of any creature nor any sound, for the moment. Fiver looked around, cautiously. He discovered multiple coils of rope shooting out of the darkness to nowhere in contact. Then, the runt found himself in the path of a red car slowly ploughing its way toward him. At first, Fiver believed the car was going to run him down. Fortunately, it didn't because it passed over his small form. He looked up to see a mysterious rabbit in the back of the car, his tiny paws pressed against the window. A strange light from behind caught his attention. Fiver stared at a pile of shards, gradually revealed to be broken china vase. The fragments reform themselves into the vase and reassemble as it lifted itself up in the air, just as a harsh female voice sounded off, _"What have you done now?!" _Fiver couldn't tell whose voice that belonged to. Suddenly visions of Clover and the hutch rabbits approached him, running past him in slow motion. Then came a gunshot, startling Fiver so much that he tumbled over in a small ditch. His paws felt something wet and warm. He looked at his paw and his eyes widened in horror. It was blood. Tiny raindrops of blood landed on his stained paw. Fiver turned to look up at the misty grayish black sky, where an old drain pipe surrounded by thick branches hovered over his head. A rabbit lie in the drain pipe, bleeding terribly. Fiver couldn't identify who the rabbit is, but he understood at once the mystery rabbit had been shot.

After what seemed like forever, Fiver ceased his moaning and groaning when Hazel managed to snap him out of it. "Fiver? FIVER! It's alright. What did you see?"

"I don't know... I don't..." Fiver stammered, seemingly trying to relax. "I couldn't see clearly enough."

"Just answer me this, if we go back, will we get the does out of there?"

There was a brief pause of silence, but then Fiver responded, "Yes."

Hazel breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Thank you, Fiver. Now go and sleep." There was a movement of rustling and then Hazel's voice added in a sly tone, "It's going to be a busy night."

Lily's eyebrows lowered. Her leader was creating a secret plot, and Fiver knew something that he wouldn't confide in his brother about. If the hutch does were freed, there would be a devastating consequence to their farm raid. Instincts told Lily to go help Hazel in his secret midnight plan. Casting one last glance at the dozing Bigwig, she tiptoed out of her burrow and her movement startled Hazel for a moment.

"Oh! Lily, why are you awake?" he asked.

"I'm coming with you," she replied.

"Uhhh, to where?" Hazel pretended that he had no idea of what she talked about.

"To Nuthanger Farm," Lily responded, her brows furrowed. "I'm going to help you free those does. You can't do it alone."

"I appreciate your help, Lily, but you are not coming. I can't have you doing something foolish and Bigwigish." Hazel refused, trying to sound mature and stern at her.

"Frith forbid." Then, Lily began to smirk mischievously. "If you don't let me come along, I'll have to tell everyone by shouting it at the top of my lungs." She wriggled her eyebrows craftily.

Hazel gawked at the doe, appalled at her attempt to blackmail him. "You wouldn't dare! I'm trying not to risk other lives in case they get-" There was no use arguing with her as the doe opened her mouth to ready her loud announcement to the entire warren of his secret plan. Slamming a paw on her mouth, Hazel realized that he had no other choice but allowed Lily to tag along. "All right, you can come," he relented.

"Great! Let's go!" Ecstatic, Lily rushed out of the burrow while excitedly shoving Hazel along.

Once outside the warren, Hazel halted to give the doe a stern lecture, warning, "But you need to be extremely careful, Lily! We need to be wary of cats, dogs or humans! Understand?"

Lily nodded in understanding. "I have grown up on a farm, so I might know some things on how to get in and out of it."

After trotting down the hill, Hazel felt that perhaps it was a good idea to have brought Lily along, given her experience of living on a farm, just so long as nothing will go wrong. However, he disliked her attempt of blackmailing him when he first refused her assistance, given that was something foolish and Bigwigish.

No sooner had the two rabbits have left Watership Down, Bigwig had woken up to find no warmth of his beloved doe's body beside him. Eyes shot open in alarm, believing something bad happened to her. Catching a whiff of her scent, it lead him out of his burrow to Hazel's and Fiver's burrow, where the runt made anxious groaning sounds in his sleep.

"Fiver, wake up!" the lion buck demanded, shaking the runt roughly to awaken him. "Where's Hazel? And where's Lily?"

Before Fiver could answer, his vision repeated as if he was in pain. "Run fast, run hard! The Black Rabbit races across the yard... a noise... blood spilling!"

Again, those words left Bigwig in a dreaded shock, but he kept his poker face on. "Does that have anything to do with Hazel and Lily?"

"I... I don't know..." Fiver sighed, "but I fear there will be danger when he-"

"_He_ _what?!_" Bigwig's eyes blazed savagely as he cornered the runt back against the wall, interrogating him. "Where did he go?"

"To the farm!" blurted Fiver, thankfully not loud enough to wake up the other rabbits. "I had a vision of broken human objects... a gun... the hutch rabbits running past me... long pieces of rope come shooting out of nowhere... blood dripping from an open hole where a rabbit lies inside!"

"And you didn't say one word of this to Hazel or Lily?!" Bigwig scorned, his emotions grasping at him if Lily was the mystery rabbit in the hole, probably bleeding to death.

"I never want to go beyond anymore! The weight of knowing what's past is crushing him, so I am crushed as well, by the weight of knowing what may become!" Fiver exclaimed, as he repeated what he told his older brother. "And I don't know if the bleeding rabbit in the hole is either Hazel or... wait, Lily is gone?!"

"Ugh! Just like all your visions, clear as mud!" Bigwig grunted, shaking his head disapprovingly. "Why did Hazel do it? What leader risks his life and others for nothing?"

"Not for nothing, but for Clover."

It was now Bigwig realized the reason for Hazel's reckless actions: his love for Clover. He's risking everything to free Clover and the does to ensure everyone's futures, especially his own future with Clover. Bigwig would have criticized Hazel's actions, but he thought back to his own selfish actions in the name of love when it comes to Lily. He risked everything to protect her, but he behaved like a possessive and jealous monster trying to keep her for himself. Luckily, Bigwig had seen the light when the mist lifted at Cowslip's warren. She risked everything to save his life in the name of love, and he was forever grateful to her.

"We must go after them," suggested Fiver.

"You're right." Bigwig nodded, his eyes gleamed in determination.

* * *

Arriving at Nuthanger farm, Hazel and Lily sneak past the open gate and entered the yard. No cat, so far. The two dogs snored in their kennels. Finding the shed where Hazel found the hutch does, the two rabbits were stunned to find the cage, where the does were contained, gone.

"What the f-" Hazel came close to a curse.

"Watch your language!" Lily scolded.

Climbing inside an empty hutch box, Hazel and Lily found the door open and started sniffing the hutch floor to find Clover's scent or the others. There was no scent. Looking around, the two rabbits discovered the cage containing the hutch rabbits has been moved into a greenhouse inside the farm house. Leaving the shed, both rabbits peeked in through the glass of the greenhouse. Their suspicions were correct; Clover and the does were inside their hutch. Tiptoeing past where the sleeping dogs lay, they crept inside the small doggie door that brought them to a kitchen.

Inside the house, Lily is aware of her surroundings of where to go and figuring out where to find the greenhouse, whilst Hazel remained deeply wary. Five sets of shoes were set in place by the door beneath several coats or jackets. The humans who live in the house are known in the human world as the Cane family; the head farmer called Tom, his wife whom was called Winnifred, their only child is known by all as Lucy, and the two farmhands called John and Billy were outside finishing their remainder of the day's work before retiring for the night.

A strange music played on a nearby television in the living room, where Winnifred sat in a comfy chair to doze. In the kitchen, Lily carefully backed away from a knife that stuck on the cutting board on top of the refrigerator which stood dangerously close the ledge, and Hazel gasped in horror at the picture of a dead, skinned rabbit hanging upside down.

"That is so disturbing." Lily pitied the little girl and grew disgusted at the parents for portraying such a photo when they have a child who keeps hutch rabbits, it's as if they're reminding her how they never cared about how she felt about her pets.

The farmer's wife snored loudly on the chair, having fallen asleep watching a black and white drama on the television. Puss and Tabitha were sound asleep in a basket by the warm fireplace, large enough to fit two of them as they snuggled together side by side. Keeping silent as ever, Hazel and Lily crept passed the cats to reach the greenhouse, but a slight bit of noise by the creaking floor woke up the surprised cats, who at first couldn't see anything around them.

Entering the greenhouse, Hazel ecstatically rushed toward the cage where Clover, who had slept until she woke up at the presence of familiar rabbits. Lily's tail wagged happily upon catching Clover's scent.

"Well, you just keep coming back, don't you?" Clover smiled.

"Well I suppose I must like you a little bit," Hazel replied, affectionately placing his nose at the cage wires to touch Clover's nose.

"Hello, Clover," Lily greeted, excitedly. "It's so good to see you again."

"Lily, I'm so glad you came back!" exclaimed Clover, her tail wagging as excitedly as the wild doe's tail outside the box.

Hazel interrupted as he wanted to cut to the chase. "I take it then you're in here because of what we did to the door."

"The woman pushed pieces of metal pegs in to hold it in place," Clover explained. "If you can get them out and we push it from inside, I think it will give."

Working together, Hazel and Lily removed the metal nails from the pegs easily.

"It's out." Hazel nodded.

"On the count of three, you does push the door open," Lily ordered.

"After three... one... two... three!" Clover gave command to the four does in the hutch.

The does pushed against the door with all of their strength, and the door gives way just a bit, though the noise could have alerted the humans or the cat, but no one came into the greenhouse.

"Come on, Clover. It's time," Hazel urged.

Hesitating for a moment, Clover crawled out of the hutch door and approached the two wild rabbits.

"We need to move quickly," Hazel cautioned. "The human and the cats are in the room with a fire."

"Mostly, it's called a living room and the small fire is called a fireplace," Lily corrected, although Hazel stared at her confused.

The does came out of the cage shortly afterword, although they started to sniff and explore their surroundings.

"So, we're free now?" asked Clover, hopefully.

"Not quite, we have to get outside to the fields. This isn't freedom yet." Hazel stopped, noticing the hutch rabbits sniffing at the random objects in the greenhouse. "What the Frith are you doing? Laurel, try and concentrate!"

Suddenly, the does had gone tharn. There was only one explanation for it. Puss and Tabitha had shown up upon entering the greenhouse. They hissed and growled at the intruders, threateningly. And neither one of them didn't care when threatening the hutch rabbits included. Hazel and Lily stood protectively in front of the does.

Without hesitating, Puss pounced on Hazel, forcing him on his back, but the cunning rabbit used his back legs to kick her off. The cat lunged, but he missed when Hazel leapt aside. Hazel panted, the shock of the sudden ambush wearing off. Lily was about to make sure if he was alright, until Tabitha pounced and pinned the helpless Hazel to the floor. She hissed at the other does to stay back or she will kill him.

"Can you run?" Tabitha taunted, cruelly. "I think not... I think _not_." Her hiss combined to a sadistic chuckle.

"RAAAAAAWRRR!" a familiar battle cry erupted, catching the ferocious feline off guard. Just then, Bigwig appeared as he tackled the cat, knocking her right off the impotent rabbit and shoving her against the wall. Fiver came in, soon after. Puss had come forward, angered at more intruders in his and Tabitha's territory. Bigwig snarled a warning to make him back off, like a rat does when feeling threatened.

"Bigwig!" Lily exclaimed, both she and Hazel relieved to see the lion buck and the young runt had arrived in time to rescue them.

"It's good to see you," added Hazel.

"Ah, well I can't let you have all the fun now, can I?" Bigwig stated, then he turned to the cats as Tabitha got back up on her feet and Puss stood beside her, scorning at the large rabbit, "You're not so tough when backed into a corner, are you?"

But Puss had a sneaky idea, so he used his feline agility to climb on a tall pile of boxes to reach a drawer, then he leaped on to the shelf full of special horse trophies and ribbons from past contests and to where a valuable china vase wobbled dangerously close to the edge.

"Oh no!" Fiver gasped in realization.

"Oh yes." Puss sneered, and when he spoke for the first time, his voice sounded a bit raspier and menacing, much worse than Tabitha.

"Everyone run, quick!" Bigwig ordered, urging every rabbit in the green house to make a run for it.

Tabitha did not chase after them, quick to deduce what her mate was up to as she leered evilly at the runaways, fully aware there is no escape for them. Smirking, the sly Puss uses his bottom to knock the vase off the shelf and the vase smashes to the floor into pieces. The broken shards from his vision, it was just like in Fiver's vision. It had come true, as Fiver deduced too late. The crash was loud enough to awaken the farmer's wife close by.

"Fiver, come on! What on earth are you doing?" Hazel shouted, snapping his little brother out of it in time.

From inside the living room, Winnifred woke up and shouted, "PUSS! What have you done now?" She correctly assumed her cat was responsible for breaking something as usual, until she found unwanted visitors rushing past her feet, taking the hutch rabbits with them. "**OH!** **OH, MY GOD!** LUCY, GET IN HERE! YOUR RABBITS HAVE GONE OUT AGAIN!"

The group of rabbits raced through the kitchen to reach the doggie door, only their path was blocked by the two farmhands entering the house the second loud noises and shouting reached their ears, at first assumed an intruder broke in. Instead, the farmhands grew surprised by what they discovered.

"Mrs. Cane, where did these wild rabbits come from?!" questioned John.

"Lucy's rabbits have gone out! Let's get 'em quick!" added Billy.

Before either one of the men could reach down and grab the escapees, the rabbits took off. Luckily, Clover knew a different way out beside the doggie door. "This way!" she ordered, directing the rabbits to run into the hallway.

"Come here, you!" Winnifred had reached down and caught Cornflower by the scruff of her back, as the poor rabbit dangled helplessly in her grasp, which is not the right way to hold a rabbit. "Oh, I got you!"

Hazel glanced over her shoulder, shocked at losing one of the does to the humans. He knew that he didn't stand a chance of going back to save Cornflower because he couldn't fight a human. As for Lily, she feared for Cornflower but she understood the human child will never harm her hutch rabbits, but hoped these older humans don't even think of trying to harm the hutch rabbits.

While the rabbits bounded through hallway, Clover shouted, "Up here, quickly!" as she lead them to the staircase, just as the distant voices of humans began calling for the little girl to come help catch her escaping hutch rabbits, whilst the farmer's wife just complained about her broken vase.

Tabitha and Puss catch up to them as the gray tabby nearly caught Fiver through the bars of the staircase, but she missed as the rabbits hopped up the staircase and passed the bedrooms. Clover found Lucy's empty bedroom with an open window and jumped on the bed, heading for the window.

Lily briefly noticed the child's room was filled with not only stuff for little girls, but most of her toys happened to be stuffed bunnies. "Quite the rabbit lover, isn't she?" she chuckled.

"Less talk, more running!" Bigwig urged, as he kept a close eye on the snarling cats, as he made sure the rabbits made it to the window, but the rabbits screeched to a halt. The window lead to the roof of the greenhouse. There was no way to go.

"Everybody, jump!" Lily yelled, as she ushered the rabbits to go forward.

The rabbits leapt for the roof, but Puss pounced on Bigwig, engaging the lion buck in mortal combat. Tabitha leapt onto the bed, then pounced forward to catch the escapees, her claws unsheathed.

"Eat this, you beast!" Lily used her mouth to grab one of the toy bunnies and threw it in Tabitha's face like a dog tosses a rag doll, the impact knocked the cat off the bed and Lily rejoined her friends.

On the greenhouse rooftop, the rabbits started to slide down the slippery glass roof toward the edge. Down below, the two dogs woke up and growled viciously as they tried to catch Clover, who fell off the edge and grasped her claws to the ledge, hanging dangerously over two sets of teeth waiting to chomp her. Like the cats, neither of the dogs cared when attempting to harm their human owner's hutch rabbits.

"CLOVER!" Hazel cried in horror, immediately sliding down the glass roof to reach Clover and pulled her back up to safety.

There was a screech and an agitated cry when Bigwig was shoved on top of the roof, with Puss still trying to dig his claws and teeth in the rabbit's throat. Both adversaries came sliding down the roof and were about to come tumbling over the edge, where the two dogs continued to jump and snap their jaws at the rabbits stuck on top.

"Bigwig!" Lily called out to him, concerned.

However, Bigwig managed to use his strong hind legs to kick Puss off and hurling over the ledge, but in the process he accidently kicked the cat right into Fiver, who managed to land on the top of one of the dogs' roof kennels. The cat landed on his feet on the solid earth, but the dogs turned their attention on him, barking violently. Frightened, Puss fled the scene to avoid the dogs, though still tied to the kennels.

"Not so clever now, are you? You embleer pfeffa!" Bigwig cursed, mocking the scared-y cat before turning to the other rabbits. "Everyone scatter, quick!"

The rabbits leapt off the glass roof's ledge to reach the kennel rooftops, then jumped to the ground, making a run for it as the two dogs tried to snatch them. They barely missed the dogs' sharp teeth as they dashed across the farm yard, passing the open gate and out on the dirt road. Just then, the farmer's car drove up in attempt to stop them. Laurel suddenly goes tharn in front of the headlights, rooting her to the spot.

"Don't look into the light!" Hazel tried to snap her out of it.

And then, Winnifred came out of nowhere and reached down to grab Laurel. "Gotcha!" she exclaimed, picking her up and held the rabbit tightly to her bosom. As Tom Cane stepped out of the car and brandishing his shotgun, she warned, "Just make sure you don't shoot any of our Lucy's!"

"If they get shot, they get shot," Tom Cane scoffed, heartlessly. "They've been a blooming nuisance." He began shooting at the runaway rabbits, not caring one bit if he shoots the rest of Lucy's escaped rabbits and the gunshot briefly started his wife.

His words made Lily almost freeze in mortified shock. How could the farmer be so cruel to his own child's pet rabbits? How could Lucy live with such uncaring and unloving parents? She blocked out Bigwig's cries for her to keep running as he forcibly shoved her out of the spot where the bullet hit the gravel behind her. The rifle's shot brought her back to reality, tearing across the road to reach the field as they rushed farther in the distance, but another booming shot separated the rabbits from each other, terrifying them.

"Get into the ditches! Come on, now! Hide!" Hazel shouted.

Lily's ears pricked at the sound of the farmer's thick boots moving as he catches up to them as he continued shooting at the runaway rabbits. In the midst of the chaos, Hazel and Clover separated from their group. Hazel hid among the shadow of the bushes, watching the angry farmer searching for him to pass by. Suddenly, Tom Cane discovered the trembling Clover hiding in a bush. She couldn't duck low enough in such a poor hiding spot. Despite the darkness, he couldn't see if she was Lucy's rabbit or a wild rabbit, still not the least concerned whether he shot one of the escaped hutch rabbits. He loaded his gun and raised it in attempt to shoot her.

"**CLOVER!**" Hazel's voice screams in the darkness, horrified to see the danger his precious doe was in, rushing out of his hiding spot and throws himself against the farmer's boot to distract him. The impact made the farmer's shot go off into the air, allowing Clover to escape out to the fields.

"What the hell was that?!" Tom Cane exclaimed in surprise, then he aimed his gun at the culprit who struck his boot. "Right, you little...!"

_BANG!_

Seconds after the gunshot goes off, Hazel squeals in agony when a painful blast tore at his lower hip. The impact of the shot forced him tumbling downward into the bottom of a ditch close to a drain pipe. Hearing the gunshot and the pained squeal, the rabbits had frozen on the spot, but Bigwig forcibly urged them to move in. Tom Cane approached the ditch, shining his torch, or rather flashlight, to scan the area and make sure he got his target.

From a distance in front of the car, Winnifred warned her husband, "Better not have shoot one of Lucy's."

"It was a wild one," huffed Tom Cane.

Hazel laid motionless in the ditch, the pain burning in his hind leg. He could hear the farmer approaching and the chief rabbit knew he had to get away as soon as possible. Hazel can barely move as the pain grew stronger. Then, he spotted the drain pipe up ahead. It was the perfect hiding spot. The flashlight's beams moved closer, searching for the injured wild rabbit. Hazel's pulse raced faster, as he knew the farmer was almost upon him. He had to move fast.

Tom Cane found the small trail of blood, then shined his torch's light down in the ditch. There was no wild rabbit, though. Satisfied, he sneered, "Blood... I told you I shot it."

"Come on, now. It's late," Winnifred called, tired from all the craziness that happened tonight. "If he's out there, you'll find him in the morning."

While the farmer and his wife returned to the house with the recaptured Laurel, the three escaped hutch does remained in the field with a terribly worried Lily looking after them high up on the hillock. Bigwig and Fiver kept searching high and low in the hillock for Hazel, but there was no sign of him.

"We've searched everywhere," Bigwig reported. "There's no sign of him."

"Let's go back," Clover suggested, eagerly. "He might still be alive."

"No, not in the dark. Not tonight." Bigwig refused, before he gave Clover a stern lecture. "Tonight, we go back to the down. Hazel chanced his life to free you and we're not throwing that away by having you wander around in the shadow of a farmer's gun. You understand?" Then, he turned his attention to Lily. Infuriated with her involvement and putting her own life in danger, the lion buck's green eyes glowered right through her scared blue ones. "This is the last time you ever set foot in that farm! Just because you grew up in one, don't think you can just prance right in there and expect a welcoming committee by a Man's gun!"

"Bigwig, I was just-" Lily never had the chance to finish.

Bigwig's voice was dangerously low and cold. "Why do you have to be so careless and foolish?!" Those words were twice as harsher than the events of tonight's raid, making the timid doe bow her head in hurt and shame.

"It's my fault." Fiver admitted, on the verge of tears as everyone looked at him. "I saw it... I saw it in my vision... I should've seen it was Hazel bleeding, but I didn't know."

Clover approached the heartbroken Fiver to console him comfortingly, "The only one at fault tonight was the farmer, Fiver." Although tonight's dangerous escapade had convinced Clover of Hazel's distrust against humanity as a result of the farmer's cruelty. "Hazel was right. There are humans who will never understand the ways of our lives, who will never stop until our kind is destroyed big time."

Lily shook her head in disappointed defeat. After a lifetime of living with Henry and his family all her life, she failed to see the truth how some humans are cruel and care nothing for wildlife or nature.

Holly's story of Sandleford's destruction.

Cowslip surrendering his people to the hand of humans for sickening reasons.

Losing Hazel to a wicked farmer was enough proof for her to open her eyes.

"No... you were all right," Lily admitted somberly, catching everyone's surprised attention as she reflected on the nature of evil on earth. "There's a terrible evil in the world, and it comes from Men. All other elil just do what they do to live on the earth to get food, but Men will never rest until they've spoiled the earth and destroyed the animals."


	13. Reunited & Captured

Arriving back at the warren of Watership Down, there was a dismal welcome for the three hutch does. Any rabbit would have prepared a lovely feast of flayrah or prepared a comfortable burrow for the newcomers, or some of them had practiced a stern lecture for their disappearance last night, but noticing the distress in their eyes told the warren rabbits that a traumatic event occurred. There was a meeting held in the center of the burrow, the newly furnished Honeycomb.

"Where have you lot been?" Hawkbit demanded, slightly angry.

"At Nuthanger farm to free the does... we barely escaped with our lives... we only got three does, but..." Lily wretchedly gestured to Clover, Haystack and Boxwood, holding back a choked sob.

"Where's Hazel?" asked Dandelion.

"There's been some trouble..." Bigwig began, dejected. "Hazel's been shot."

Everyone in the burrow gasped, stupefied.

"No..." Holly muttered.

"And poor Fiver is still outside, locked in a dream of grief," Clover added. "He won't speak to us, nor did he want to come in."

Blackberry remained silent for a moment, then said, "The Black Rabbit serves Lord Frith, but he does no more than his appointed task."

"But we don't know for sure if Hazel really is dead or not!" Pipkin exclaimed, on the verge of breaking down in tears. "We've got to find him!"

"We can't, there's a heavy fog outside!" Silver shook his head. "It'd make us easy target for elil." He lowered his head, sadly. "We have to face facts, Pipkin. Hazel-rah is gone."

Pipkin began to wail loudly, burying his face in his paws.

"You're quite the comfort, aren't you?" Speedwell dryly scorned at the silver colored buck.

"Okay, okay!" Bigwig interrupted, hoping to end what could be a feud between Holly and Silver, as he brought Pipkin closer to his side to give the young buck solace. "What we mustn't do is panic."

"Yeah, that's right, everyone. Don't panic," Hawkbit agreed. "Just because there's this massive, terrifying warren nearby that tried to imprison a few of us and the face that Hazel's gone, so we don't have a leader." His voice changed into panic mode. "Which means this warren is completely finished!"

At those words, everyone in the Honeycomb started to panic, as if trying to debate whether Hazel is dead or not, who will be the next Chief of Watership Down, and what to do about the Efrafa situation, leaving the entire warren in a state of hopelessness.

"I can't give up on him!" Clover declared, having quite enough of this. "Just like he would never give up on any of us. We should form a search party-"

"I want to find out what has become of Hazel as much as anyone, but no one goes out in this fog. It's too dangerous," Holly reminded her of the dense fog outside.

Just then, Fiver came rushing in like a mad hare. "Hazel's not dead! I think I know where he is!" he shouted.

Everyone turned their heads to stare at him, speechless.

"Fiver, where is he?" Clover asked. "Is he alive?"

"He's in some sort of hole, down by the farm," answered Fiver. "I had gone beyond again; I saw hrududil destroying Sandleford before the farmer menacingly caught me, mocking me if I liked what his kind have done to our old home, but he showed me an open hole in the ground where blood spilled, saying that he doesn't have Hazel yet."

"That settles it." Clover made her decision. "If no one else wants to come, I'll go on my own." She almost left the burrow, but Holly prevented her just to keep her safe.

"This time, two days ago, you were in a hutch," the former Captain pointed out her inexperience as a free rabbit, including the dense fog outside would complicate it. "You wouldn't survive out there, even if it were clement. I'm sorry, but it's true."

Clover sighed in despair, but whilst she felt hopeless, Lily felt a spark of hope renewed in her heart. She knew that he was the glue to hold everyone together, and his open mind to accept new ideas made things turn out alright in the warren, even though these new ideas are questionable. If what Fiver says is true of Hazel still among the living, than there is a chance of saving his life and bringing him back to the down.

"I'll help you find him," the ginger doe volunteered. "And so will Fiver, right?"

The other rabbits stared at her in disbelief, but Lily paid them no mind. Fiver nodded his head, determined.

"I'll go with you." Surprisingly, Bigwig volunteered the next, earning him the smiles of gratitude by the three rabbits, until he added sternly, "You, however, are staying here where it's safe!" His piercing green eyes fell upon a shocked Lily, whom eventually grew upset.

"By Frith, Thlayli!" Holly refused, approaching the lion buck. "Use your head!"

"I didn't realize you'd been made Chief Rabbit, Holly," Bigwig accused.

"I haven't, nor do I wish to be," Holly stated, firmly. "You have a reputation for being impetuous, controlling, and possessive, Bigwig. Now is the time for consideration, not impulse."

"How dare you call me impetuous, controlling and possessive! No one else thinks that!" Bigwig denied, angrily and vehemently. He turned to the other rabbits, hoping for their support. "Who else thinks I'm impetuous and controlling and possessive, huh?"

Haystack nodded her head, ironically proving Holly correct. Boxwood shook her head in fear of facing Bigwig's wrath.

"Uhhh... I don't know what intemptuous means, but yes," Bluebell hesitated, yet he mispronounced the word.

"That's impetuous!" Buckthorn corrected. "Controlling means bossing us around, and he's possessive when it comes to Lily."

"It means hot-headed! And those last two mean I'm a control-freak and overprotective! He's calling me a hot-headed, overprotective, control-freak!" Bigwig exclaimed, furiously lashing out at Holly.

"I say if Clover and the others want to go, then let's go!" Hawkbit decided.

"We can't let them go on their own" Bluebell objected.

This restarted their debating and arguing once again, their voices loud enough to awaken a dozing Kehaar in his private burrow the rabbits made just for him. However, three certain rabbits took advantage of the distraction to quietly sneak out of the warren to go search for Hazel.

Nobody had seen or took notice of the trio's escape, except a horrified Bigwig as he shouted, "CLOVER! LILY! FIVER!"

Everyone ceased their arguing, a chorus of gasps followed suite when they realized what just happened.

* * *

Clover, Fiver and Lily raced outside of the warren and down the enormous hillside of the high hills, everywhere around them covered by a fog bank. The distance in front of them was extremely difficult to see, especially when trying to find Nuthanger farm. They reached the bottom of the hill, but neither of them could still see where they needed to go and trying to catch Hazel's scent proved to be more complicated.

"Hazel!" Clover shouted, frantically twisting her head back and forth. "Hazel, where are you?!"

"Please, Hazel, don't die on us!" Lily hollered, pleading desperately. "Our warren needs you! We need you!"

Suddenly, a solemnly calm Fiver fixed his gaze at a strange dark face with red gleaming eyes that give no light. "The Black Rabbit of Inle!" he gasped.

"What? Where is she?" Lily looked around, but she couldn't see anybody else nearby.

"I can't see the Black Rabbit!" Clover added, before she realized what the doe beside her just recently said. "Wait! Did you call it a she?"

"Weeelll…" Lily knew the time had come to explain it all. "It's a long story. But I hope she doesn't try to take Hazel away from us."

"No, she's not..." Fiver responded, noticing the Black Rabbit's calm blank expression, lolloping from side to side with such grace and elegance, before briefly vanishing for a moment until returning. "I think she wants us to follow her."

"I think you're crazy!" Clover warned, hiding behind the ginger doe. "She could be leading us into a trap to collect our souls!"

"Not entirely," Lily gently reassured her. "She does want us to follow her. We're lost in this blasted fog, so what choice do we have."

Than, the trio hurried after the Black Rabbit, entering a small dark wood and sending dandelion puffs flying in the mist along the way.

**_Is it a dream? _**  
_**There's a fog along the horizon **_  
_**A strange glow in the sky **_  
_**And nobody seems to know where it goes **_  
_**And what does it mean? **_  
_**Oh, is it a dream?**_

_**Bright eyes, burning like fire **_  
_**Bright eyes, how can you close and fail? **_  
_**How can the light that burned so brightly**_  
_**Suddenly burn so pale? **_  
_**Bright eyes**_

Coming to a field of beautiful tall golden flowers, they passed underneath a giant pylon tower. Fiver paused to gaze up at it, as if the tower was smoothly swaying in his eyes.

"Fiver, come on!" Lily cut in, snapping Fiver out of his dazed thoughts.

Arriving at a wired fence, Clover recognized the piece of fur stuck onto s sharp piece of the wife, deducing they are closer to the farm. She pointed it out to Fiver and Lily, and then resumed their search, entering an open field covered in mist.

_**Bright eyes, burning like fire **_  
_**Bright eyes, how can you close and fail? **_  
_**How can the light that burned so brightly**_  
_**Suddenly burn so pale? **_  
_**Bright eyes**_

The Black Rabbit leapt toward a circular shape deep within a ditch, one side covered by nettle bushes, before she disappeared permanently. Clover lost her footing and tumbled into the ditch with a cry.

"Are you alright?" Fiver asked from above the ditch.

"I'm okay." Clover staggered back on her feet, waiting for Fiver and Lily to come sliding down to her. "We need to keep finding Hazel!"

"Do you still see the Black Rabbit anywhere?" Lily sniffed the ground, trying to find his scent.

"No, she's gone." Fiver shook his head, dismayed. "Oh, maybe I was stupid enough to follow the Black Rabbit. She's probably taken Hazel by now."

Just as they were about to turn back where they came from, Clover felt a warm liquid on the ground and looked down to see it was a trail of blood. Eyes widening, she realized how close they are to finding Hazel, but the thick fog prevented them from going further.

"Fiver, I think I have an idea," she said. "You have visions, right? I know you said he's in a hole, but we can't see him. Maybe if you concentrate hard enough quietly, you could hear Hazel's voice to see if he's nearby."

"But my visions don't work like that." Fiver shook his head, doubtfully.

"Please, try it." Clover gave him a pair of large, sad, round eyes, which made Lily envious of how she could pull it off. "I'll call for him, and you'll hear his voice if he answers me."

"Okay, I'll try it." Eyes closed, Fiver started to search and listen for his brother's voice.

"Hazel!" Clover called out for him, silently hoping this idea could work. "Hazel!"

Lily waited, hoping that Hazel will respond to Clover's calls or praying the Black Rabbit will not claim Hazel's spirit yet.

"I heard him!" exclaimed Fiver, relieved.

"But I didn't hear anything," doubted Lily, ready to give up. "It was probably the wind."

"No, no! I heard his voice in his head, calling for you," Fiver explained. "He's not far, he sounded close."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get him!" Clover cheered, instantly relieved her plan worked.

Approaching a round circular hole concealed in the fog, the trio figured it must be a drain pipe. Peering into the darkness, they spotted the shape of a rabbit who lay breathing heavily inside the pipe, drawing in sharp gasps due to the pain in his waist.

"Hazel!" Lily's eyes lit up with joyous tears, rushing inside the pipe. "He's still alive!" Now she was silently praying a thank you to the Black Rabbit for luring them to Hazel, and grateful to Fiver for having such a gift.

Clover and Fiver followed Lily inside the pipe, and there lay Hazel, his hind leg wounded and bleeding from the gunshot.

"Hazel, I thought I lost you," Clover sighed in relief as she approached him, then nuzzled his head affectionately.

"I'm here, Clover... I'm here..." Hazel moaned softly, returning the nuzzle with equal affection. He looked over to see two more familiar faces. "Fiver, my brother... Lily..."

"I heard you calling Clover," Fiver told him, nuzzling his forehead.

"Just now I did."

"No, I meant before than. I heard your voice inside my head calling for Clover when you heard her voice."

"You scared us half to death, Hazel!" Lily chided, lightly cuffing him on the back of the head. "Everyone at the warren thinks you're dead!"

Hazel hung his head, shamefully.

"Show me your wound," Clover instructed, so her beloved buck can show her where the wound is located. "Okay, let me clean it. This is going to sting." She began licking at his wound, causing Hazel to wince or groan sharply.

"Do you know being shot hurts almost exactly as much as I thought it might?" Hazel asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"You don't recommend it?" giggled Clover.

"I recommend these bullets be removed, maybe I could ask Hannah or Kehaar about that," Lily suggested.

"And Blackberry can take care of the rest," Fiver agreed, knowing the blue doe's special skills to cure wounds with herbs can help his brother.

"Why do the men have the black branches that shoot, Hazel?" Clover asked, out of the blue.

"They have them for killing, I suppose," replied Hazel.

"And those black branches are called guns, or rifles," Lily corrected. "Men use them for survival or hunting wild animals for food. But to use them for violence is out of the question."

"Still, I imagine they think there's great skill in destroying things... when in fact it's the easiest thing in the world," Hazel continued on his correct theory of guns, then decided to change the subject to ask his darling doe, "So, what's it like being free?"

"I feel scared, confused, exhausted..." Clover answered nervously, before she added with comfort, "I feel alive."

"I felt the same way when I was on my own for the first time after my home burned down," Lily assured, "minus the feeling alive and free thing, but I'm much happier now that I have friends."

"You will enjoy it, Clover, I guarantee it," said Fiver.

Smiling, Clover started to move closer to Hazel and pressed her body against his own, snuggling him tenderly. "I don't want to be apart from you again."

Hazel returned her gestures, embracing her. "You won't be. From today, we face everything together."

Fiver turned his head away, embarrassed.

"I guess this means you're going to be an uncle sooner than you think," Lily teased the runt, playfully.

"And you're going to be a mother sooner than you think!" Fiver teased her back, winking at her secretly, and Lily realized that he must've had a vision of her and Bigwig together as mates.

"Clover! Lily! Fiver! Where are you?!" Bigwig's voice could be heard just a mile away outside.

His voice caught the rabbits off-guard, and interrupting what could have been a romantic moment between Hazel and Clover.

"Bigwig!" Clover said, getting back up on her feet. "Let me go and find him. He can help us get you back."

"I'll go with you, I'm probably gonna have to explain myself for sneaking off like this," Lily volunteered, shrugging off the possibility of receiving a lecture. "Fiver, can you stay and watch your brother?"

"I won't move a muscle," answered Fiver.

"We'll be back soon," Clover said, and she headed back outside the drain pipe with Lily.

"Wait..." Hazel called out to the two does, and glanced over at his brother, who took Clover's spot beside him. "Thank you for not giving up on me."

The two does smiled warmly at him, though none's was better than Fiver. Afterward, Lily and Clover climbed out of the ditch and back out in fog.

This time, they're searching for Bigwig. Despite how thick the fog appeared, his voice wasn't that far off. Lily and Clover stayed close together so that neither of them will separate or get lost.

"Bigwig!" Clover shouted. "Bigwig!"

"Bigwig, we're right here!" Lily yelled. "Follow the sound of our voices!"

Trying to follow the lion buck's voice, the two does had accidently strayed much further away from the ditch, the drain pipe, and their friends. Just then, the does noticed a large figure of a rabbit standing nearby.

Clover immediately assumed it was him, saying, "Bigwig, I-"

However, the deep voice who had spoken turned out not to be Bigwig at all. "So, whom do we have here?" Emerging from the mist, there stood Sainfoin and Orchis of the Efrafan Wide Patrol.

"Oh, no!" cried Lily.

"So, we meet again." Orchis recognized her immediately.

"HELP!" Clover screams, as Lily quickly leapt between her and the Efrafans, attempting to shield her.

Hearing the hutch doe's screaming, Bigwig rapidly ran across the misty field, searching desperately for his friends, and his precious Lily. "Clover! Lily!" he cried out, looking at his surroundings but the fog was too dense for him to see anything.

Then, he could make out the silhouettes of two larger rabbits striking down a smaller rabbit, terrifying the second rabbit behind her. The shouts of protest of "Get off me!" told him that was Clover's voice, but he couldn't hear of what happened to Lily. "CLOVER! LILY!" he hollered, desperately calling their names.

By the time he reached the area where the abduction took place, Bigwig's heart skipped a beat when he found signs of a struggle had taken place. "No, no, no, no!" he grunted, wretchedly. "Clover! Lily!" He tried not to let his emotions get the better of him, but the scent of Efrafans convinced him the awful truth: Lily and Clover had been kidnapped by the Efrafan soldiers.

"Clover?" a familiar voice caught his attention.

"Hazel?!" Bigwig gasped. He couldn't believe his ears. Arriving at the ditch, he found a concerned Fiver standing at the drain pipe's entrance, no doubt overheard the commotion, and there behind him was none other than... "Hazel, you're alive!" Bigwig smiled with extreme relief, until he realizes he had to tell him of what recently happened.

"What's wrong?" Hazel asked, sensing the lion buck's sadness. "Bigwig, where's Clover and Lily?"

When Hazel studied the distress in Bigwig's eyes, no words were needed to explain it as Hazel shook his head slightly in horror.

"Efrafans..." Fiver mumbled.

* * *

The fog had lifted and the sun had come out, signaling the start of a new day, although this was no something to appreciate as everyone on Watership Down grew mortified by the news of Clover and Lily's abduction. However, everyone was still overjoyed that Hazel had returned to their warren, alive but wounded. Pipkin had thrown himself into Hazel's embrace, but he had to be restrained as a result of Hazel's injury.

Kehaar had just dropped in from a flight to a pond to get himself some fish to eat, clumsily landing in a patch of tall grass. His black head stuck out, checking to make sure nobody saw this. "Perfect landing," he said, simply.

No sooner he stood back up on his webbed feet, an agitated Fiver came rushing in, shouting, "Hazel's been wounded! The farm man shot him!"

"You get black stones out?" Kehaar asked, stunned.

"What do you mean?"

"Always with gun is coming little black stones. You never see?" Kehaar snapped at a flying bug in his face. "Take out black stones, he get better."

Fiver brought the gull to the entrance of Kehaar's private burrow where Hazel settled himself in, waiting for him as he licked at his wound.

"Let me see." Kehaar came closer, studying the Chief Rabbit's wound carefully. "Ah, many stones!" He began his procedure to removing the black stones since his skinny beak proved impassible to reach them, thankfully.

Fiver waited patiently at the entrance, whilst everybody else stood anxiously at a distance away from the burrow to give them space. Three black stones caked in blood were thrown to the ground, then Kehaar proceeded to remove the next black stone or two. Hazel released a cry of anguished pain when another black stone had been taken out.

The other rabbits winced at their leader's agonized cries, except for Holly who remained stoically calm, but Hannah could only voice the other's thoughts, "Oy, that's got to hurt."

Bigwig had come over to see how things were improving, until he realized what he stepped on his the seagull's hraka, attracting some flies. "Ugh! Why are birds so messy?" he complained, shaking his paw to get rid of the bird poop. "You've been here less than a week and it already smells like bog!"

"Yeah? Well, look, I wasn't expecting visitors otherwise I would have tidied up," Kehaar turned his dark head around to snark, "Do you want me to help him or not Plump Rabbit?"

"Plump Rabbit?!" Bigwig repeated, taking this as an insulted offense. "My name is Bigwig, get it right!"

Behind him, Hannah and some of the rabbits began to snicker quietly at Kehaar dubbing Bigwig as Plump Rabbit.

At last, the operation was a success as Kehaar tossed the remaining black stones to the ground, stating, "There! I think I got all of the black stones out," then he advised the Chief Rabbit, "Now, after three days' rest, it should start to improve."

"There's little time for rest." Hazel staggered back up on his feet, determined not to let his injuries to get in the way of his goal. Emerging from the burrow, he saw the other rabbits waiting for orders from their leader.

"Go on, Hazel-rah. They've been waiting to see you," Fiver encouraged, whilst Bigwig stood by his side.

"We leave for Efrafa at daybreak and we don't return until we've freed Lily, Clover, Hyzenthlay and anyone else who wishes to leave," Hazel said, decidedly. However, he silently doubted his leadership that he only confided in his little brother. "How do I convince the others to join me?"

"They'd follow you anywhere," Fiver assured him like any sibling would do. "But are you sure you're up to this?"

"When they stole our liberty and safety of rabbits from Watership Down," Hazel boldly declared, "they may not have wanted a war, but by Frith, that is what they will get. We'll start off for Efrafa at daybreak!" he announced to everyone in a tone of authority.

"Great Frith, Hazel-rah! Is your tail on straight?" Holly objected, shocked. "I never thought the time would come when I'd have to speak against you, but I don't like this idea of yours at all. If you go through with this plan, it will cost lives into the bargain!"

The other rabbits began to voice their protests or their agreement with Holly.

"Quiet, you lot!" Bigwig snarled, silencing them at once.

"Yes, there is a risk, but in getting to where we are now, haven't we faced one risk after another?" Hazel continued, his voice as clear and loud as thunder. "Think of Lily, she is our friend. You're all very fond of Lily, aren't you? Do you want her locked up in a place like Efrafa?"

That made the other rabbits exchange saddened worried expressions at the thought of poor Lily imprisoned in Efrafa, where who knows what General Woundwort or his soldiers will do to her. Memories of their time spent with her brought them closer to her, despite her past of living among humans, the doe had proven herself to be a part of their warren. Of course, they were all fully aware of how Bigwig truly felt about Lily, catching them in the act of grooming each other or his tendency to be around her all the time to keep her safe, even the lion buck knew this was true. And if either one of those wicked Efrafans laid a paw or tooth on Lily, Bigwig wanted to be the one there to scratch out the eyes or tear out the throats of every Efrafan in that prison. The guilt of last night's harsh lecture after the raid gnawed at Bigwig's stomach. Some of the rabbits believed they should do the same thing to the Efrafans, should harm come to their companion.

"I'll come!" Blackberry volunteered. "Lily is my friend, and even though I've know Clover a short time, I will do whatever it takes to get them out of there."

"Count me in!" Silver raised a paw.

"I hate General Woundwort, his patrol and his council with all my guts!" Bluebell agreed. "If we're really gonna make fools of them, I want to be there."

"I'm going!" Dandelion stood straight upward.

"You're not impressing anyone, Dandelion," Hawkbit said, dryly. Some of the rabbits stared at him, waiting for his reply, so he reluctantly raised his paw. "I'm going to regret this." Although he never showed it, he was also worried about Lily.

"I want in on the action!" Kehaar joined in, raising his wing in the air.

"I suppose it'll be dangerous... but I suppose you'll need me!" Hannah volunteered, shooting her paw high up in the air.

"Can I help too?" Pipkin asked, putting his paw up in the air hopefully.

"No, lad. It's too dangerous," Bigwig refused. "I want you to stay here with Holly, Strawberry, Haystack, Boxwood, Buckthorn, Speedwell and Acorn." He noticed Holly opening his mouth to speak up, but the lion buck shut him down, "You're known to the Efrafans and it could be dangerous for you, and we can't risk bringing too many of our group to Efrafa."

"I've been in Efrafa, and I tell you..." Holly warned, "you're making a bad mistake that might very well get you all killed." Everyone remained silent, no one could be persuaded to change their minds about going to Efrafa. Thinking of Efrafa made Holly remember his promise to Hyzenthlay to bust her out, it made his heart ache for her. "But I guess there wouldn't have been any point in trying to stop you. Besides, loyalty is my second nature. I'll look after things here." Everyone praised the former Owsla captain for his decision, but he warned, adding a few requests, "But please, don't underestimate the dangers. Free Hyzenthlay for me, and send news by Kehaar if you can."

"Of course," Hazel promised.

And so, the group made plans to set off again at sunrise. Only this time, they were going to rescue their loved ones and anyone else suffering behind Efrafa's prison walls for good.


	14. Imprisonment in Efrafa

After a long night's journey of walking and staggering, Lily and Clover were forcibly escorted by Sainfoin and Orchis through the main entrance to Efrafa. Clover stared at the chimney twin towers and giant crooked tree in slight awe, while Lily kept her eyes open for Hyzenthlay or Blackavar, hoping she could find them and praying neither of them had been killed.

"Move it!" Sainfoin pushed Clover roughly, earning him a scathing glare from Lily.

Entering the tunnel within the chimney, the two does were told to wait at the pit of the warren's core. Another officer, named Avens (an auburn and brown mix buck with pale blue eyes), stood guard at the small opening, and he scowled darkly at Lily when she made her entrance.

"Wait here," ordered Sainfoin, leaving to report to the council and had Orchis stand guard to have the two does under his watch.

A small groan caught their ears as Clover and Lily discovered the form of a familiar doe in the small opening of the pit. There lay Hyzenthlay, only this time the doe was battered and injured, and under strict watch by Avens.

"Hyzenthlay! Oh, thank Frith you're alright... well, a little bit." Lily felt instant relief to see her again, but concerned by her condition.

"Are you alright?" Clover asked, worried. "Should I tell someone?"

"Tell someone?" Hyzenthlay sat up, disgusted by the question. "And who would you tell? Frith himself?" Her eyes widened slightly in recognizing Lily instantly. "And why are you back? You can't just keep yourself out of trouble, can you?"

"It's a long story," Lily sighed. "But I'm glad you're okay."

"My name's Clover," the hutch doe introduced herself. "I've heard about this place. You must Hyzenthlay, right? I heard of you from Captain Holly, he's worried sick about you."

Hyzenthlay studied the newcomer beside Lily suspiciously, sniffing her. "Why do you smell like fresh straw?"

"I was freed from a hutch, just two days ago," replied Clover.

"I sort of helped her escape from a farm," added Lily.

"Another hutch rabbit... that explains why you look so soft, or you look so hopeful," huffed Hyzenthlay, bitterly.

"What's wrong with being hopeful?" asked Clover.

Orchis came over, ending their conversation, later accompanied by Sainfoin who had just come back from the council.

"Bring her in, and keep these two in solitary confinement with Blackavar until the Council will decide their fate," Sainfoin ordered.

"You'll find out soon enough," Hyzenthlay warned the does, just as the guards took her away for her interview with Orchis.

Clover and Lily gazed at the doe for a moment, just as Avens shoved them to move onward, escorting them through a dark glum tunnel. Along the way, plenty of the guards stared callously at them, making Clover shiver, but Lily kept her poker face on so not to appear intimidated. They had to stop and keep to the right for a minute, as a line of miserable does came lolloping passed them carrying flay-rah in their mouths, after half of the Owsla had returned from their raid and forcing the does to collect the food and bring it to a storage burrow. When they had gone, more does were seen kept in their burrows, some of them crying or talking amongst each other, until they saw the newcomers but recognized Lily in astonishment. Once or twice, Lily caught their words once the whispering had started.

"It's her! The farm rabbit!"

"Why is she here? What will they do to her?"

"Do you think her ears will get ripped like Blackavar?"

"I hear the guards have it out for her after Charlock and Bugloss were killed."

"Did she kill both of them at the same time?"

"No, I heard Charlock and Bugloss got crushed by a giant hrududu on the iron road."

Arriving at a large boulder where two big rabbit sentries stood guard, then Avens instructed, "These does are to be kept in solitary confinement with the traitor, Blackavar, until the Council reaches a decision on their fates."

Nodding, Moneywort and Marjoram worked together in rolling the boulder where an open burrow was revealed. Blackavar stood silent and grim with a sour and solemn expression. Avens forced the two does to enter their prison cell, then the guards closed them off by rolling the boulder back into place, sealing off their escape.

"So, they caught you anyway." Blackavar's dry voice was just as weak as the day Lily first met him.

"I didn't intend to, I was only-" Lily could've explained her unexpected return but she got interrupted.

"What happened to you?!" Clover gasped at the sight of this poor dark buck with torn ears and scars engraved on his body. "Have you been injured in some battle?"

Blackavar stared at the hutch doe for a baffled moment, then shook his head as he answered gravely, "No, I've been punished for trying to leave the warren."

"Oh dear." Clover's eyes widened in horror.

"Well, at least you're still alive because I want to talk to you, Blackavar." Lily was eager to get straight to the point. "I want to get you, Hyzenthlay and every doe out of this dreadful place."

"By giving yourself up? Odd way of going about it," doubted Blackavar.

"Of course not, it's a long story." So Lily told him about the raid to Nuthanger farm, Hazel's injuries sustained by the farmer, Fiver's vision locating his lost brother, their tender reunion had transformed into an unexpected kidnapping when trying to find Bigwig.

"From what I heard, the Wide Patrol had been ordered to find you and your warren, but no one believed they would have any luck with the fog... until now," Blackavar recalled.

"I just hope Hazel will be okay," Clover sighed, dismally.

"He will be," assured Lily. "Fiver probably alerted Bigwig of their location and carried him back to the down."

"Where exactly did you say you're from?" questioned Blackavar, before he glanced at the boulder warily. "But don't speak too loud. In Efrafa, there are spies and even the walls have ears."

Nodding, Lily explained as quietly as she could, "We come from a warren in Watership Down. It is a beautiful place, you can see the hills, the skies, and the stars forever. And the wind blows clean and free-"

"Don't talk about your warren anymore!" Blackavar interrupted, sharply. "I don't want to hear it."

"What's wrong, Blackavar?" Clover asked.

"In Efrafa, it's best not to dream of a better place," Blackavar replied. "Because you always wake up to these walls. It's difficult to be free because... every time you try to escape, you keep being brought back here... and the punishment for trying to escape... well, I'm an example to it." He displayed his scars to show them what he meant.

Clover shut her eyes in despair.

Lily shook her head in disgust at the dark rabbit's lack of faith in freedom. "So you're saying that you rather surrender yourself to Efrafa's cruelty than live a life in the outside world?! You give up only because of what those bullies tell you what they want you to believe! You just have to believe in finding a better place, just like Hazel and Fiver did when they almost gave up on finding Watership Down as our new home!"

"You don't understand!" Blackavar protested. "In Efrafa, hope and believing is our enemy! That's why Primrose-" He paused, eyes shut tight as he turned away.

"Who's Primrose?" Clover inquired, curiously.

"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask Hyzenthlay about it when she mentioned the only thing that makes her happy is this Primrose," Lily said. "Who is she?"

Blackavar remained silent for a minute, the look in his eyes filled with emotional anguish. "She is Hyzenthlay's younger sister."

Shocked, Lily and Clover gaped at the torn rabbit.

"Perhaps I better tell you our story, that included Woundwort and why Efrafa is what it is, if you want to survive." As Blackavar settled down on all four paws, accompanied by Lily and Clover as they made themselves comfortable. "From what I know of Woundwort, he used to live in a place called Darkhaven, but the humans drove the rabbits out. He was orphaned at a young age when his father and his siblings were killed by a pair of foxes while trying to steal lettuce from a garden, but not before one of the foxes scratched his left eye. A fire started in the chaos, his mother slaughtered by a weasel to protect him. Afterwards, he was found and taken in by a human. His brother, Ragwort, was taken in with him, for he survived the fox attack as well. The human owned a cat which occasionally tormented the rabbits whenever the human isn't looking. Once Woundwort escaped his hutch, he attempted to kill his first elil: the cat who bullied him."

"Did he kill it?" Clover inquired, stunned. "No rabbit could stand up to a cat, except Bigwig."

"No, he severely maimed the cat and escaped the human's cottage with Ragwort," Blackavar continued. "They found their way to Efrafa where Woundwort quickly usurped leadership and killed the former chief rabbit, Fiorin. Back then, Efrafa was in a poor state because of Fiorin's stupidity until Woundwort began his authoritarian rule and transformed it into a military base, where he gave strict codes for when to silflay, to pass hraka, outsiders forcibly detained, and any rabbit who tried to run away will be severely punished. He used these rules to imprison the female inhabitants of two of the conquered warrens, including Redstone and Nutley Copse, my mother's home warren."

"So, you were born in Nutley Copse?" Lily guessed.

"Not exactly," explained Blackavar. "My mother was taken prisoner with the other rabbits when General Woundwort attacked the warren. My father was an Efrafan captain who had been killed on Wide Patrol. As a kitten, I was proud of my father and grew up with the idea to become an officer in the Owsla. But my mother had strictly forbidden it because I was conceived not out of love, and she withheld a certain resentment against Efrafa, as I had come to realize this. I befriended some of the does who wanted to leave Efrafa, two of them were Hyzenthlay and Primrose, newcomers taken prisoner after the Efrafans attacked Redstone warren. I encouraged them to give Woundwort a proposal to start an expedition to start a new warren. It was out of the question, but this warren is overcrowding, the system is breaking down, and most of the does cannot produce litters as their embryos dissolve and melt back into their bodies whenever they are anxious or unhappy. There used to be a great number of does in this warren, until they died of old age or the Owsla killed them off. Now there is only sixteen does left, though counting you two, that makes eighteen. Hyzenthlay and a few others were separated to prevent further plans of leaving. Hyzenthlay took charge as their leader, often hatching plans to get the does out of here and they looked up to her with great admiration. Primrose was the second-in-command, she became the heart and soul of the does. She convinced some of us to try our luck of running during silflay when nobody was watching, while most of the does dug a tunnel underground to get out of the area. Unfortunately, the Owsla captured us and brought us back. None of them knew about the tunnel, thank goodness. I was deemed a traitor, and the Council tore my ears. Woundwort decided that I must be presented before every mark as an example to discourage further ideas of escape."

"What happened to Primrose?" inquired Lily.

"After our recapture, Primrose gave the General and the Council some strong words for their cruelty. And he..." Blackavar's voice broke, tears threatening to sting his eyes. "Woundwort gave the order to have Primrose executed... underneath a pylon..." Tears fell from his eyes, losing control of his emotions.

"Poor Primrose..." sobbed Clover, the sorrow and sympathy on her pretty features.

Now Lily wished she had never asked about Primrose or what became of her, not meaning to bring this kind of suffering to Blackavar. She gently placed a paw on his shoulder, as to show reassurance and her condolence for his loss. Her thoughts mused back to what it felt like to lose a friend. Henry came to mind, his death at the jaws of Woundwort made her struggle with the initial idea of killing the scar-faced rabbit to avenge the child, until her brief encounter with the Black Rabbit of Inle changed her mind. She would be no better than Woundwort.

Then Blackavar found himself in Lily's embrace, allowing him to cry on her shoulder as she hugged him with such warmth, companionship and gentleness. Clover joined in, tenderly nuzzling her head against the dark rabbit's cheek. No words were spoken as they held each other, crying softly as they shared in his pain and suffering.

Suddenly they heard the boulder being rolled over to open their cell. Lily, Clover and Blackavar pulled apart from their small group hug, behaving like nothing happened. There stood two familiar rabbits whom Lily hoped to never see again; Campion and Vervain, both accompanied by the intimidating Ragwort.

"Good news, does," Vervain smirked. "The Council made the decision. You're lives are being spared, but you will be marked and kept under surveillance if either of you try to run off."

"And if _you_..." Ragwort pointed sharply in Lily's direction, "think of escaping us for a second time, you will be _severely_ punished!"

"Follow us, please." Campion instructed, not smirking nor threatening them like the two bucks beside him, but he suspected what might have happened in the cell as he studied the prisoners' facial expressions.

"Bye, Blackavar. Please, keep believing in hope," Lily whispered goodbye to the dark rabbit, as she and Clover left his cell where the guards rolled the boulder back into place, imprisoning poor Blackavar inside as the torn rabbit gave the two departing does a little smile.

Trailing through the same darkened glum tunnel that Lily and her comrades once did when marked brought a painful memory back for her. Even if she couldn't feel it, she could still feel that creepy rabbit's sharp claw buried in her hind leg.

"Where are we going?" Clover inquired.

"You're to be marked," explained Campion, hastily. "On which body part determines where you'll live in Efrafa, what time you can out, either to eat or to pass hraka."

"That doesn't sound right."

"It's to keep you safe from elil or humans. It's best for you to give up trying to run away in exchange for your safety."

Lily shook her head, fuming, "Nettle is right. It's nothing but a load of hraka!"

"I'd watch your tongue if I were you, farm rabbit!" Vervain snarled, twisting his head in her direction, glaring dangerously.

Climbing down the small round staircase, they arrived at the small basement where that huge, monstrous, creepy rabbit with droopy ears and sharp buck tooth waited patiently. He was busy sharpening his longest nail, growling eagerly to bury his claw in the does' bodies.

"Which of you wants to go first?" demanded Ragwort.

Though hesitant, Lily decided to volunteer so to protect Clover. "I'll go first," she said.

Sliding down the iron grate to reach the bottom, Lily bravely approached the creepy rabbit. He caught her by the scruff of her neck and pressed her down to the iron floor. He sniffed and growled at her. Then he started to mark on Lily's right shoulder, causing the doe to wince in agony. Another part of her flesh and fur opened. Her claws extended, engraving another set of marks on the iron floor.

Clover stared at her friend in horror, forced to watch her suffering of the mark. But she was astonished at how Lily never cried out or screamed. When it was over, Lily limped back up out of the basement.

"You alright?" whispered Clover.

"It hurts," Lily quietly assured her, before she advised, "be brave and don't scream."

"You're next!" Vervain instantly pushed the trembling Clover forward and she tumbled down the grate and into the basement.

Displeased, Campion cast a cold frown in the ugly rabbit's direction. Lily noticed this, as she remembered his reaction to Moss' mistreatment by Charlock. That little feeling in the back of her mind told her that perhaps Campion was not as bad as he looks. Sensing the doe's gazing at him, Campion's cold blue eyes glanced her way and Lily had to avert her gaze.

Pressed down on the cold floor by the creepy rabbit, Clover felt her right hind leg pierced by the sharp claw. The hutch doe began to whimper as the nail tore open her fur-covered skin. When the mark was completed, the droopy rabbit removed his nail and pushed Clover out of the basement, as the doe limped her way out to rejoin her friend.

After their marks had been finished, Lily and Clover were escorted outside to the warren's courtyard, where a small group of does were being forced to lie underneath a scorching sun in order to oppress them. A few sentries stood guard on the broken stone hedge, keeping their eyes peeled for any signs of trouble. Ragwort had to return inside the burrows to speak to his brother.

"Hello..." Clover politely greeted the does, as they just stared at her and Lily. "Aren't you all hot, lying there in the sun?"

"And what do you suggest we do about it, hutch rabbit?" Hyzenthlay questioned, dryly.

"We have to be out here, for certain hours for each different marks," Lily explained to Clover.

Clover thought it would help that perhaps that everyone should head back inside. She climbed up on the stone hedge and politely asked one of the guards, "Excuse me? The does and I are very warm and wondered if we could move in-"

The Efrafan guard callously struck her, and Clover fell off the wall to the ground.

In a flash, Campion cuffed the Efrafan guard across the face, angrily chiding, "Do that again and I'll cuff you harder this time!"

Lily hurried over to help her friend up. "Are you okay?" she asked. Aiming a scathing glare at the Efrafan guard, she was secretly impressed how Campion stuck up for her friend like that.

"I'm alright." Clover stood back up, before she glanced up at Campion with amazement. "Thank you, Captain Campion."

"You watch yourselves now," Campion cautioned, sternly. "In Efrafa, you do as you're told."

Nodding, the two hutch rabbits limped their way towards the small gathered group of does. Hyzenthlay wasn't the only doe present. Lily recognized Vilthuril and Nettle immediately, but there were others all whom glared suspiciously at them and some whom felt sorry for them; Thethuthinnang, a doe with a coat of tawny golden fur and faint white marks around her orange eyes. And there is Nettle's younger sister, Nelthilta, a long nosed doe with bright blue eyes and a coat of buttercream fur.

"It's worth the try, hutch rabbits," Thethuthinang kindly spoke to them, who was the only one other than Vilthuril, concerned for them.

"Don't talk to her, Thethuthinang!" Nettle warned.

"Miss Hyzenthlay? I want to talk to you." Clover recognized the doe, recalling their earlier conversation.

"There is no doe here by that name," Hyzenthlay denied, coldly.

"Please. I know the rabbits from the other warren: Lily, Fiver, Bluebell and Holly," pleaded Clover.

"She's lying," stated Nettle, bitterly.

"No, you can trust me."

"She's telling the truth, Nettle. We're from the other warren." Lily tried to stick up for Clover, confused at why the does are behaving so scornfully. Then she glowered at their leader. "What's the matter with you Hyzenthlay? You're all acting like a bunch of school girls rejecting the new kids who want to make friends with you!"

None of the does understand exactly what she was talking about, hence Lily's life in the human world made her words seem like foreign language to the does.

"What is a school?" asked Vilthuril.

"YOU!" a familiar voice interrupted. "What are you does plotting now?!" Vervain leapt forward, glancing suspiciously at the group.

"Nothing! We're just chatting with our girlfriends," Lily denied, trying to act innocent.

Again, the does felt the word 'girlfriends' was like a foreign word neither of them understood.

"Need I remind you the General will be on his way out for inspection, and you're all a mess," added Vervain.

"Who cares what we look like?" Hyzenthlay replied, disgusted. "Why should we groom ourselves at this time of day?"

"Because it's expected. Groom yourselves, now!" ordered Vervain.

Rolling their eyes, the group of does began to lick and groom at their paws, arms and ears. Lily and Clover had to do it as well, otherwise there will be trouble for them. Some of the sentries standing by watched the does' grooming with creepy expressions that made Lily think of stalkers.

"I know you're thinking of escape, Hyzenthlay. And I hope you try, I really do," Vervain snarled smugly at the leader of the does, "because I want to be the one to catch you." He bent downward and leaned his face closer to hers. "I'll make you scream for the Black Rabbit of Inle, Hyzenthlay, just like your sister did before she stopped running, but he'll be a long time coming."

Those words made Hyzenthlay squirm at mere mention of her late sister, but Lily was quite fed up with Vervain's bullying. A voice in her head encouraged her to fight back. "That's enough!" she snarled. "Leave her alone!"

Vervain lifted his head mildly disturbed, but mocked at her defiance, "And what are you going to do about it, farm rabbit?"

Without another word, Lily reached forward and bit him on the left ear, yanking a piece of his flesh off. Vervain squealed in anguish at the unexpected bite. The does gasped in surprise at the farm rabbit's defiance, even Campion was taken aback. The guards' ears pricked up, alerted by Vervain's cries and rushed to the scene.

Vervain's ear was dripping of blood, but he grew angry by the doe's rebelling. "I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!" he roared, raising his paw to hit her.

Campion, realizing what the abusive Vervain intended to do, growled furiously as he jumped off the stone hedge and was close to striking Vervain to protect Lily, whilst Bartsia leapt forward to join Vervain's fight.

"ALL BUCKS TO ME!" General Woundwort bellowed from the chimney's entrance.

The does gathered together at the broken part of the stone hedge, watching warily as General Woundwort emerged from the shadows and into the courtyard. Campion and Vervain left the does and assembled in line with all of the other soldiers, including the Council, as their leader inspected them carefully. Ragwort stood in the shadows, calmly watching. However, the General paused when his eyes shifted at Campion and Vervain.

"You're not on wide patrol," he grumbled.

"We've just brought the two farm rabbits outside after their marks, sire," Vervain tried to explain, then attempted to tattle on Lily for ripping at his ear, "that doe, she-"

But Woundwort had no time for such trivial nonsense as he ordered, "Then go out again!" His voice increasing the volume as he raged, "Until you find the outsiders, until you find their warren, UNTIL THEY'RE _ALL_ DEAD,** UNTIL _I_ TELL YOU TO STOP!**"

Vervain trembled like a coward as the General's voice made his ears, including Campion's ears, fly back.

"Wide Patrol Owsla, fall in!" shouted Campion, and three tough bucks by the names of Mallow, Thistle and Gorse marched in.

Vervain was still grumbling at the General's refusal of listening to his report of the farm rabbit assaulting him, nevertheless he glanced back at the does with a cruel sneer. "I'll have that little troublemaker shaking at the sight of me. You watch and see."

Disgusted, Campion's eyes flashed fire as he neared his face closer to Vervain as he angrily threatened him, "Treat anyone like that and you answer to me! We're Owsla, not mad dogs!"

Stupefied by his rival's warning, Vervain said no more words.

No sooner had the Wide Patrol left Efrafa, the General's eyes shifted over toward the does. One particular and lovely hutch rabbit caught his mismatched eyes, taking a deep interest in her; Clover, who shuddered at her first sight of the powerful and deadly ruler of Efrafa.

"Bring her to my quarters," Woundwort whispered to a guard, who happened to be Bartsia.

Bartsia nodded, then he whispered something else in the General's ear. Woundwort's eyes widened slightly, then his eyes shifted in Lily's direction. Woundwort nodded at Ragwort to follow him, gesturing at whom they were going to lecture. The three bucks approached the hedge stone as the does backed away, frightened by the General's massive intimidating appearance.

"You, approach!" Ragwort ordered, gesturing his paw out to Lily, much to her shock.

As she stepped forward shyly, Lily feared this would have something to do with her attacking Vervain and she was about to receive her punishment. However, Woundwort did not stand on his hind legs like Vervain did earlier when ready to strike someone, so Lily was not going to be punished at all.

"A strong-willed doe..." General Woundwort smirked, though Lily was surprised by his compliment. "You're not short of nerve, are you? Hardly any doe in this warren has the strength or nerve to engage in physical combat with a captain of the Owsla, but you seem to prove an example of that," he chuckled. "You keep fighting every officer in my Owsla until you tire yourself out... and then, we kill you." The General's voice darkened as he bent down closer to her eye level, his extended claw lifted her chin up forcibly to gaze into those savage eyes. "The next time you're caught in the same offense, you may not have another chance." This time, he spoke in a cruel, mocking tone. "You seem to think you're here to fight and free these slaves. _We_ are the ones to say what _you_ are; a slave in Efrafa, a doe under our Mark and under our orders."

"You train your bucks to behave like Men, who abuse their power over them," Lily spoke, calmly yet coldly enticing Holly's words. "They never set their wits to devise ways of manipulating or spoiling other rabbits' lives. They have dignity and animality - both of these qualities of which _you_ lack."

Murmurs and whispers started within the crowd all around them, as the General and the farm rabbit gazed loathingly at one another. The tyrant towering over the smaller doe, hoping his size can at least intimidate her. The doe never backed down at least one bit. This was the very creature who murdered her human family, any thoughts of tackling him were pushed away to avoid being killed.

"Count yourself lucky that you are still alive," Woundwort cautioned her, coldly. "There will be no further occasion for you to waste my time." As he let go of her chin, he turned away. "It is Lily, isn't it?" he asked, correcting her if that is her name. "I shall remember you, Lily."

The second the General nodded at Bartsia to have Clover brought to his den, the soldier began to shove Clover forward, much to the hutch rabbit's surprise. Lily tried to intervene, but Ragwort blocked her path, growling. Lily just hoped that Clover will be alright and not get into trouble on her behalf.

* * *

Sometime later, Clover is brought to the dark burrow of General Woundwort. She looked around nervously, frightened and wondering what the General had in store for her. Suddenly the massive Chief Rabbit made his presence, forcing Clover to become silent and fearful.

"I see you have been marked. An unpleasant experience, I know. But a necessity, nonetheless," said Woundwort, as he circled her. "There's a warren somewhere nearby that's been causing us trouble. First, we thought that you were from that warren like your friend Lily, but today I heard on the wind that you're actually an escaped hutch rabbit."

Clover's eyes widened in horror.

"A few here know that I lived in a hutch for a brief while," he recalled, back to his traumatic childhood from his imprisonment in a hutch. "Like you, I managed to get out. And here I am. From hutch rabbit to Chief Rabbit," the General reflected, quite proudly.

Leaning close enough down to her level to the frightened Clover, Woundwort sniffed at her scent, inhaling it deeply for he found it entrancing. "King of the warren... but Kings need Queens, an empire is born not in a lifetime." He placed his massive paw on top of her tiny paw, whispering seductively, "But over generations, don't you think that's right?"

Distressed, Clover realized what his intentions were of her. She refused to look him in the eye and refuse his offer, feeling not quite as brave as Lily was back in the courtyard.

"You need time to settle in. You may leave." Woundwort dismissed the shaken doe, deciding to give her time to settle in Efrafa. "Clover? It is Clover, isn't it? I don't like to be disappointed," he warned, just before he disappeared within the shadows.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lily and the does had to return back to their burrows once their time out in the blazing sun was over. The does were looking forward to rest in their cool yet darkened burrows. The Council had decided to have the newcomers, Lily and Clover, share a burrow with Vilthuril and Thethuthinang because, like Blackavar mentioned earlier, the burrows are overcrowded.

"So, did Fiver and the others really make it out alright?" Vilthuril questioned, hopefully.

"Yes, he's safe," assured Lily. "They're all safe. It sounds like you've taken an interest in Fiver."

"I've never met anyone quite like him before. He reminds me of myself," sighed Vilthuril. "Sometimes I can tell when things are true. Sometimes I can see it... a high down with trees in it... rabbits living happily and peacefully amongst friends..." she sighed, dismissing these visions. "I've become foolish to believe in them."

"That's where I live! The high down with trees in it and rabbits living there!" Lily gasped, astonished. "You'll have to tell Fiver about your visions when we get out. He talks just like that."

"How do we get out?" inquired Thethuthinang.

"I haven't quite worked it up yet." Lily shrugged her shoulder, embarrassed.

At that moment, Clover entered their burrow. The poor hutch rabbit was shaken and trembling violently.

"Clover, what happened?" asked Lily, worried.

It took a minute for Clover to find her voice. "The General... he wants me... to be his... queen."

"He what?!" Lily gaped, incredulous.

Vilthuril and Thethuthinang exchanged bewildered looks, gazing sympathetically at her.

"Oh, Lily! I don't know what to do! I wish Hazel was here!" Clover began to cry, burying her face in her paws.

As Lily gently pulled Clover into her embrace, her thoughts mused on her last conversation with Blackavar or Hyzenthlay. She wanted to do something to help the does get out of Efrafa, Blackavar included, instead of surrendering themselves to Efrafa to avoid sharing the same fate as Primrose, and to prevent Clover from becoming Woundwort's mate. Some promises can't be made without making them, but Holly's promise to free Hyzenthlay was one of those promises she would fulfill. It wasn't just Hyzenthlay, Blackavar or the does who needed to be rescues. Clover needed to be rescued from an unwanted courtship.

"It's alright, Clover. I'll do whatever it takes to get us out of here, all of us. I promise," Lily vowed, silently. _Oh Frith, please guide Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig and the others to find us. If not, help me find a way to free everyone from this prison, even if I die trying._


	15. Challenge to Efrafa

Around the time of Lily and Clover's imprisonment in Efrafa, the rabbits of Watership Down had awoken very early in order to train their new Owsla for their mission: rescue the prisoners of Efrafa. Hazel vowed to leave early by sun rise, but Bigwig insisted they needed an Owsla, just in case they have to fight the Efrafan soldiers. It was a hard and difficult training for the bucks. Bigwig's patience was wearing thin, his concern for Lily stretched to the limit of pushing the bucks too far. Though Hazel and Holly understood what he is going through, they remained firm on telling off Bigwig for pushing everyone too hard.

Standing calmly still in the field, the Owsla's training was nearly complete. It was time for a demonstration for Hazel to see if he believes they are ready or not. The bucks leapt over a log lying at the bottom of the field, as Hawkbit had to crouch beside the log, leaning up against it. Bluebell ran forward and jumped on Hawkbit's shoulders, and leapt over the log. Then Fiver came next, then Dandelion and Silver, who's large weight almost crushed the disgruntled Hawkbit. Afterword, Hawkbit struggled to climb over the log, but he made it over.

"Well, what do you think so far?" Bigwig asked his Chief Rabbit.

"They're fast," Hazel complimented.

"Yes, but Kehaar's a bit off his mark." Bigwig rolled his eyes as the seagull flew over their heads, screeching. "Now, if that doesn't rattle the Efrafans, I don't know what will."

"Very impressive."

"It gets better."

Bigwig had this sly grin on his face, and before Hazel could ask what is on the lion buck's mind, the bucks lunged out of nowhere and tackled Hazel from behind, the impact sent him rolling backwards for a second. His leg stinging by the pain from the farmer's gun shot prevented Hazel from getting up, but his injured leg wasn't the only thing preventing him.

"Got you!" Fiver cheered, sitting perfectly calm on his elder brother's chest.

"Alright, no need to murder Hazel," Bigwig chuckled, amusingly. "Well done, lads."

"Fiver, we're not kittens anymore," Hazel scolded, rather gently. "And my leg hurts more than ever."

"Oh! Sorry Hazel," apologized Fiver, instantly removing himself from his brother's chest.

"We're getting so good we could sneak up on a homba," declared Bluebell, as he joined the other bucks leaving.

"Don't let Bigwig hear you say that or that'll be up next," warned Hawkbit.

"Well Hazel, we have an Owsla!" announced Bigwig, quite proudly. "I'd put them right up there with the best."

"Then we're ready," Hazel announced. "We're going back to Efrafa."

Returning to the down, the rabbits had to say goodbye to the friends they're leaving behind. Holly still feared the rescue party would never come back, but Hazel sternly reminded the former Owsla captain of his promise to free Hyzenthlay. Pipkin was still dismayed at not being allowed to join them, but Bigwig decided to task him with the job of keeping the warren safe with Holly, just to lift the young buck's spirit.

The rescue party stood out in the open, preparing to leave for Efrafa: Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig, Blackberry, Bluebell, Hawkbit, Dandelion and Silver.

"Right, wide patrol gather round!" ordered Bigwig.

Just then, Kehaar made a quick landing to complain, "Always the same, hurry up and wait. Can we go now?"

"We go!" Hazel declared.

The seagull took to the skies so he can provide guidance and lead their way to the enemy's territory. The rabbits began to lollop down the hillside, starting their journey to Efrafa and to rescue the poorly mistreated prisoners, especially Lily and Clover.

"Give the Efrafans a good thrashing!" Strawberry shouted, bidding them farewell.

"And one for me as well," Pipkin added, waving. "Good luck."

"May Frith be with you," prayed Holly, silently, as he watched the band of warriors disappear from his sight.

* * *

"If anyone's going to infiltrate Efrafa, it should be me!" Bigwig volunteered, determined to go undercover to enemy territory and hopefully find his beloved Lily.

The sun began to set as they passed Caesar's Belt, their trail delivered them to a dried up cornfield, just beyond the wood where the land beyond will deliver them to the enemy's warren.

"It might be better to send someone less threatening, Bigwig," Hazel suggested, thinking there could be another way. "Someone who can pass themselves off as a storyteller, or an outskirter."

"I agree, there is an operation that will requite subtlety and cunning," agreed Blackberry.

Grunting, Bigwig placed himself in front of the group. "But I'm a hot-head, right? When I get out with all those does, you'll see how subtle and cunning I am!"

"That's not exactly in abundance of options, Hazel," Blackberry sighed. "It can't be Bluebell or Fiver because they'd recognize them. You can't go in because of your..." She paused before gesturing to his wounded leg, when Hazel sharply glared in her direction.

"I told you, my leg is fine!" Hazel retorted, stubbornly.

"We don't know how they'll take to an injured rabbit," Blackberry advised.

"They'll most likely kill you," added Hannah, who had been riding on Hazel's back for the journey. "We need you here, as our leader."

Sighing in defeat, Hazel realized they were right. "Very well. Bigwig, infiltrate the warren by pretending to be a hlessi. Once inside, find Lily, Clover or Hyzenthlay. They can help you organize an escape that will take place tomorrow night."

"Yeah, but as soon as they're out," Hawkbit scoffed, pointing out the obvious downside, "the Efrafans will be all over them. How will they get away?"

At that moment, Kehaar had come flying above out of nowhere, squawking with excitement.

"That's where our secret weapon comes in," stated Hazel.

Kehaar circled the rabbits with great speed and enthusiasm, then he descended by swooping over their heads, cheering, "Hello!" Until he crash landed within a few inches inside the cornfield, somersaulting across the ground.

The rabbits sighed or shook their heads, whilst Hannah scolded, "You need to look where you're flying, Kehaar! Otherwise you're gonna hurt yourself so badly that you won't be flying for a month!"

Brushing off her lecture, Kehaar said, "Relax, Hanya. No one commands the skies quite like Kehaar." He stood up and stretched his wings out, as if he was this super awesome seagull superhero. "It's what all the lady gulls say."

Everyone stayed quiet for a second, until Hazel began providing instructions to the gull. "Kehaar, tomorrow night at Frith-down, Bigwig will break out of Efrafa with many other does, including Lily and Clover. We want you to provide support from above to make sure they can get away. If you see the Efrafans following or attacking us, you must drive them away. Terrify them."

"Okay, right! I'll do it!" Kehaar agreed, excitedly. "And one more thing... Bluebell has to make up an epic story about me, how the amazing and super humble Kehaar saved the rabbits!"

Everyone glanced at Bluebell, who nodded, "Consider it done."

"Oh, he's getting a bit big for his beak, that gull!" Bigwig groaned.

"Bigwig, the rest of us will wait for you beneath the Iron Road," Hazel further instructed, while the lion buck nodded in understanding. "Does that all make... f-fox?"

"Fox?" Bigwig repeated, not sure if he heard Hazel right. Following Hazel's stupefied stare, he spotted the fox concealing himself within the cornfield, discovered the group of rabbits and crept silently toward them.

"**FOX!** Everybody get to the woods!" Hazel bellowed in alarm.

The fox sprinted forward to a charge, but the rabbits made a run for it and Kehaar hovered high enough for the fox to miss him. Bigwig was the only rabbit far behind, maneuvering back and forth to avoid the fox's sharp fangs by merely an inch, hoping to distract him long enough from catching up to his friends. Feeling the homba's hot breath on his neck, Bigwig needed to devise a plan to throw the fox off their trail and quick.

Kehaar swooped down to jab his beak at the fox's forehead, but it wasn't enough to stop the homba from continuing it's pursuit, as the predator attempt to swipe at the meddlesome bird. The other rabbits made it out of the woods and came to a rocky stretch of a river bank. Pausing to rest his injured leg as a result of all that running, Hazel noticed a small ledge behind the small fast flowing waterfall.

"Stop!" Hazel yelled, forcing the band to cease running. He placed his paw in the water, revealing a small gap inside. "We can hide behind it. The water should mask our scent, quickly now!"

Quick as a wink, the rabbits hopped behind the small waterfall and onto the ledge. It proved to be a very good hiding spot from elil. Everyone was present and accounted for, except for Bigwig, as he appeared and hesitated by the small waterfall.

"Come on, Bigwig!" Hazel urged. "There's plenty of room!"

At that moment, the fox emerged. Bigwig took one last look at the waterfall, then he made his decision. He would not hide like a coward, he would do whatever it takes to get rid of the fox. He took off through the wood, while the fox stayed in pursuit, growling furiously. Hazel peered out from the waterfall's curtains, shocked at Bigwig's actions.

* * *

The Efrafan wide patrol had been patrolling their territory to search for any signs of intruders or if the outsiders were nearby, so far nothing.

"You know, sir, I think the General is spooked by these outsiders," Mallow confided in Captain Campion. "Did you see the look in his eyes when Fiver spoke of his past?"

"I doubt it," Campion disagreed. "The sooner we find their warren, the sooner we destroy it. Why do you ask, Mallow?"

"It just came up, sir. And those hutch rabbits, you seem to have taken a fancy to them, or is it one of them?"

Campion stiffened, then he responded, "We don't treat any of the does like that, Mallow. But, this Lily... she's got a lot of spirit..." his voice dropped to a whisper as he realized whom she reminded him of. _Primrose..._ his thoughts mused.

"Well, to tell you the truth..." Mallow made sure that Vervain or the others weren't listening. "I thought it was amusing how she ripped off Vervain's ear." He snickered quietly.

"Same here." Campion couldn't help but show a tiny hint of a chuckle. Suddenly, his ears pricked up when he heard approaching feet, two pairs of feet. "Mallow, take Gorse and Thistle to that path, be prepared to ambush whoever is coming!" he gave command, pointing to the left part of the wood. "Vervain, you're with me."

Mallow, Gorse and Thistle nodded obediently and concealed themselves in the bushes. No sooner had Campion and Vervain had gone, Bigwig burst out of nowhere with a roar. He pushed his way past them like lightning, tumbling in a puddle of mud and covered from top to bottom slightly, standing his ground against the three Efrafans.

"Stay where you are, outsider!" demanded Mallow.

A familiar growl alerted the Efrafans, thus giving Bigwig the chance to make a run for it. The fox pounced at them, his jaws sunk into Mallow's throat, ending his life in an instant. It repeated the same attack on Gorse and Thistle, both having gone tharn at the sight of the homba.

An ear shattering scream reached the ears of the Watership Down rabbits as they kept themselves hidden behind the little waterfall.

"Oh, Frith and Inle!" Blackberry gasped, fearing the worse of Bigwig.

Returning back to the clearing where they had separated from the wide patrol, Campion and Vervain had grown alarmed by the scream, but upon their arrival, their wide patrol had vanished. Small pools of blood were all that was left of the Efrafan wide patrol.

Campion sniffed at the ground, finding tracks of a stranger, but the second pair of tracks were much larger. "A fox!" he gasped, deducing what else occurred. "It got Mallow, Gorse and Thistle." The Captain lowered his head, silently mourning his fallen patrol. "My heart has joined the thousand... for my friends stopped running today..."

"What if it comes back?" Vervain looked around, terrified.

"No, it looks like the fox was chasing something else," replied Campion. "Mallow, Gorse and Thistle got in the way."

Cowardly as ever, Vervain turned tail and ran off.

"True to form as always," muttered Campion, disgusted.

From beneath a huge hedge for cover, Bigwig watched the Efrafan Owsla captain for a brief moment, until he crawled underneath the hedge to escape the searching eyes of Captain Campion.

* * *

The Watership Down rabbits cautiously hopped out of the small waterfall and back onto the back, but tensed when they heard feet approaching. They froze, ready to go back to hide or to run. To their surprise and relief, Bigwig had come back.

"Bigwig! Oh, thank Frith!" Fiver cheered, relieved.

"We thought we'd lost you this time, you old rascal," added Hawkbit, just as happy as everyone else is.

"Takes more than a homba and a couple of Efrafan Owsla to bother me," Bigwig boasted, smiling proudly.

"But aren't you wounded?" inquired Blackberry. "Why did you cry out like that?"

"I didn't, I bumped into a bunch of Efrafans," Bigwig explained. "I knocked them down, but they tried to stop me. I raced off, and the next thing I heard was this squeal."

"So the homba got the Efrafans?"

"It must have. After all, I lead them right into it."

"That was an idiotic risk!" Hazel reprimanded, strictly.

"What's tickling your ears?!" Bigwig questioned, offended by his Chief Rabbit's fury.

"You're no use to use if you're dead!"

"And what was I suppose to do? Let the homba find the rest of you huddling behind a waterfall!"

"He might not have found us."

"That's your trouble, Hazel. You want the world safe and nice. Well, the world isn't like that. Get used to it." Bigwig couldn't believe how Hazel would chastise his idea of luring the fox away, even if he did make it to their hiding spot behind the waterfall, the fox might have seen him and it would have gotten all of them. Glaring back at the other rabbits, he stated, "Let's get a move on to Efrafa..." he glowered back at Hazel, "unless you think it's too dangerous."

Hazel didn't make a retort this time. He knew that Bigwig was right on one thing: the world isn't safe and nice for rabbits, all the world is their enemy as Frith once told El-ahrairah when the Prince Rabbit refused to take advice and suffered the consequences afterword.

As the band continued on their journey, they finally located the iron road, or rather train tracks on the bridge that towered majestically over their small forms, where they will meet up with Bigwig and the escapees tomorrow night.

"This must be the iron road that Holly mentioned," Silver guessed, as he gazed up at the giant bridge in wonder. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Trains come and go on the iron road," Hannah explained. "You hear them before you see them coming."

All of a sudden, Kehaar came soaring across their heads, though glad to have found the rabbits safe and alive, squawking in alarm, "It's not to rest here, they come!"

"Another patrol?" Hazel gasped.

"No, ugly Vervain and Captain Campion!" shouted the gull. "They coming to find you! You go to river, I guide you there!"

"C'mon all of you, run for it unless you want to get your ears chewed off!" Bigwig ordered.

"Is it safe?" questioned Hazel, disturbing the lion buck.

"Yeah, come along! By other side of iron road!" Kehaar encouraged, guiding the band of rabbits to run beneath the huge bridge. "I think maybe they no like going across iron road!"

The remaining duo of the wide patrol, Campion and Vervain, had caught the scent of intruders after leaving where their soldiers had been killed by the fox, and came dangerously close to following their trail. Kehaar decided to provide a quick diversion by passing hraka on the unexpected Vervain, much to his chagrin and to Campion's secret amusement.

Hazel and his band tore across the path, with Kehaar as their guide, to reach another stone bridge where this time, no iron road on it and it had a huge chunk missing from the middle of it, leaving only a thin strip for the group to cross over in a cautious single file. Close to the bridge was a large hill, downhill to hide underneath the bridge for cover. Beneath the bridge was a river, and a strange large wooden object floating on the water's surface.

"We'll have to hide here for now," Hazel decided. "We need to rethink this raid."

"We came to get Lily, Clover and the other does! What's to think about?" Bigwig protested, impatient to rescue his beloved Lily.

"Getting out in one piece."

"He's got a point, let's rethink it back home. Hmm?" Hawkbit suggested, still trying to get out of it.

Bigwig growled threateningly at him, so Hawkbit shrunk low to the ground. "I've had just about enough of you!" the lion buck snarled, turning to his Chief Rabbit. "I say we get it done now!"

"Alright, say we do get them out and Woundwort sends his army after us?" Hazel retorted in irritation. "If what Holly says is true, we couldn't possibly stand and fight them."

"Then Kehaar does his hawk act to keep them occupied and we run like mad back here. Even if we do fight, I'm willing to do it whatever it takes!"

"Right, and there's an Efrafan patrol blocking the bridge, then what?"

"Then we're trapped on this side of the river," Fiver interrupted, pointing out the obvious.

"All talk, no action," Bigwig huffed, turning to go back up to the top of the hill. "I'll watch for the bridge patrol while Hazel decides how fast we should run away." And with that, he stormed off.

There was no turning back now, Bigwig was going to rescue his precious Lily from that wretched place, no matter what it takes. He decided to take pleasure in disobeying Hazel and infiltrate Efrafa right now. Just then, he noticed a black streak racing across the field, trying to escape from Campion and Vervain. Unfortunately, the two soldiers spotted the figure and maneuvered their direction back toward him. They ambushed the figure, tackling what appeared to be a dark rabbit with torn ears. Bigwig's heart cried out to the poor rabbit, but instantly he made it part of his plan to get inside Efrafa, and hopefully to prevent their beating the torn rabbit or to ensure neither of them found his friends' location.

"Oi, you!" Bigwig shouted, catching the soldiers' attention and interrupting their mistreatment of the torn rabbit.

No sooner had Bigwig allowed himself to get captured, Blackberry discovered the giant floating object on the river.

"Hazel-rah! Come and look at this!" the doe cried, excitedly. "I think I've found our escape route. It's just like the plank and the metal lid. Remember when we floated across the river to escape Holly and the Owsla?"

The rest of the rabbits approached her, studying the wooden object covered by a huge green cloth with much curiosity. Nobody understood what this wooden object could be and what the doe was talking about as their escape route.

"By Frith!" Fiver exclaimed, grinning as he correctly deduced what she meant. "You're right, Blackberry!"

"Oh, that is boat!" Kehaar told them, while eating a fish he caught from the river. "Man make them go on water. It floats."

"Boat?" Hawkbit was puzzled. "Is it dangerous?"

"No, no. It's safe. I see lots of them on big water. Some big as whole city."

"What's a city?"

Kehaar rolled his eyes, exasperated at the rabbit's naivety of the world. "Ugh, rabbits."

"A city is huge warren for humans," Hannah told them. "My brother lives in a city, he often showed me postcards of the city when he told me about it."

"With this boat, we wouldn't need the bridge," Hazel said, figuring it out. "We can use it to escape the Efrafans. Blackberry, you're a wonder!" His compliment made Blackberry blush.

"Hey Bigwig, guess what?" Bluebell shouted, eager to inform the lion buck of their escape plan. "Blackberry found a-"

There was no reply. Bluebell wondered where he had gotten to. He ushered Hazel to come up the hill. The two rabbits exchanged confused glances. Before either of them could shout out for him, they heard distant unrecognizable voices, probably Efrafans. Hazel and Bluebell returned to the bridge's cover, concerned.

"Where's Bigwig?" asked Fiver.

After a moment's pause, Hazel answered, "He's gone."

* * *

Back at Efrafa, Lily had been keeping herself and her companions amused by telling the story of her travels to finding Watership Down. She hoped it will lift their spirits, but she was careful not to let the guards overhear her.

"...and after we first moved in to the down, we tried to force the bucks to help dig a warren, but Bigwig started a campaign of 'Bucks don't dig!' He lost in a game of bob-stones to Fiver, so the bucks would have no choice but to help, especially when a weasel started targeting us, but Hazel outsmarted him," Lily told the does. "And then, Captain Holly came staggering toward the hills with a few others, maimed and injured, revealing the massacre of Sandleford at the hands of humans."

"That is quite a story," awed Clover.

"From what you said of this Bigwig fellow," Thethuthinnang said, "he sounds quite stubborn and impetuous."

"True, but he is the best rabbit I have ever met," sighed Lily. "He was always there for me and he treated Pipkin like his own son."

"Then you are lucky to have someone who cares about you," Vilthuril said, admiringly. "Not like these cold-hearted creatures here in Efrafa."

"If you had met my friends in Watership Down, you would love to mate with them," Clover added, jokingly.

The four does giggled, until they heard the General's bellowing voice echoing from the main burrow down the corridor that startled them.

_"FOOLS, COWARDS AND TRAITORS!"_

"What's going on?" wondered Vilthuril.

_"Are you incompetent or just lacking in motivation?!"_

"Then something's happened," Lily said, hopping toward the burrow's entrance to listen.

_"You're a stain on the glory of Efrafa!"_ General Woundwort's voice kept bellowing. _"You call yourself Owsla?!"_

Curious, Lily decided to go investigate.

"Lily, wait!" Vilthuril warned. "You'll be caught!"

"Don't worry about me," Lily assured, before she quietly hopped out of the burrow, after making careful examination of no guards being present, gesturing Clover to keep an eye out for guards. She tiptoed to the entrance of the main burrow, careful not to be seen.

General Woundwort's eyes blazed with fury and rage as he towered over Vervain, who cowered on the ground before his master.

"Forgive me, General," Vervain pleaded, pathetically. "But the fox came..."

"The first sniff of danger and you run?!" Woundwort spat, bitterly. "You let Blackavar escape, abandoned Captain Campion, desertion in the face of the enemy, the judgement is death!" He raised his paw, claws exposed, ready to strike at this traitor until...

"General, wait! Please!" Campion appeared at the entrance, interrupting the execution. "I sent Vervain ahead," he lied, even though he knew of Vervain's cowardice and abuse of power, he dared not let him die.

Woundwort stared at his most loyal captain for a moment, thinking over what he told him. After considering it and seeing Campion having returned, he said, "Your loyalty does you credit, Captain Campion. And what of the traitor, Blackavar?"

"He was recaptured and returned to his burrow, with a double guard at his side," Campion reported, and Woundwort was satisfied of this piece of news, but there was more. "And sir, we've brought in a hlessi. An experienced Captain of Owsla, he wishes to join our warren."

This surprised the General, for hardly any rabbit would dare to join his warren even if they knew of its reputation. "Bring him to me," Woundwort ordered.

Glancing over his shoulder, Campion gestured to a familiar figure in one of the side tunnels to come out and show himself to the General. As Lily watched patiently, she gaped in horrified disbelief at who this mystery stranger is who wished to join Efrafa.

Bigwig entered the main burrow, stopping next to Campion and Vervain. "General Woundwort! Thlayli, sir." As he greeted, bowing before the massive rabbit, there was a smirk that appeared wicked. "At your service."

_No! Bigwig would never betray us, not like this. He wouldn't... _Lily didn't understand what his intentions were, but what she witnessed could be the betrayal of her lover put a knife in her heart. All of a sudden, she caught a glimpse of Bigwig's eyes stealing a glance of concern and relief in her direction, the second Woundwort demanded to his captains how they found this hlessi. The lion buck winked in her direction as he smiled gingerly. All thoughts of Bigwig betraying his warren evaporated like mist, Lily sighed deeply in consolation as she waved at him. Unfortunately, Bigwig had to turn back to focus his attention back to this monstrous rabbit.

"So...Thlayli, is it?" General Woundwort spoke at last. "Why have you come to join Efrafa?"

"Well, sir... I've heard it said that the Chief of Efrafa is a leader of warriors," replied Bigwig.

"Yes. And...?"

"My old warren was destroyed some Friths ago, and being a hlessi and a warrior, I was hoping to make myself at home in a warren whose chief might better appreciate my talents... sir." Bigwig loathed the idea of calling this so-called rabbit 'sir' but he still played along with it.

"Really now?" Woundwort's eyes widened.

Vervain, on the other hand, was quite suspicious of this newcomer. "Don't trust him, sire! I don't fancy the looks of this hlessi. Not a rabbit his size. Looks more like a troublemaker."

Smirking, Campion decided to tease him, "Sounds like you, Orchis, and he would get along swimmingly, Vervain."

Vervain growled with a bruise to his pride. "Be that as it may... can you run, Thlayli? Can you fight?" He interrogated the hlessi.

"Course I can run and fight," Bigwig responded. "But truth be told... I'd say I was the only rabbit who actually knew how to run and fight, given my old warren's... errr… lax discipline, especially in the Owsla."

"Hmmm...is that so?" inquired Woundwort.

"Afraid so, sir. In fact... while we didn't fight or train as much as yours surely does, the only reason I was in their Owsla was because..." Bigwig thought for a moment until he came up with something, "well, only because I've been known to spin a few tales."

"A storyteller?" gawked Vervain, laughing incredulously. "And yet you've come to join us? Sounds suspiciously odd, sire...don't you think?"

"I thought you might have a better use of me than my old warren did."

"Hmmmm...your old warren," Woundwort continued the interview. "Where was it, if I may ask?"

"Sandleford Warren, a long journey, sir, along the path of the setting sun," Bigwig added, though this part was true. "But... as I said, my warren is in ruins now. Destroyed... by man."

Woundwort's eyes widened in sheer rage, burying his claws in the ground leaving engravings. "Man... May Frith burn the flesh from his bones! So... you were a storyteller in your old warren... yet you're also a warrior, are you? Hmmm..." he decided to test the hlessi as he pointed to Vervain. "Could you fight him?"

Vervain gaped in disbelief that his master would suggest a hlessi to attack him, let alone allow that meddlesome farm doe rip off his ear. Campion, however, seemed less than concerned at the idea of someone attacking Vervain.

Bigwig eagerly overpowered Vervain and pinned him to the ground, his claws exposed as he raised his paw to strike. "Not much of a fighter, is he? Shall I kill him, sir, and rid Efrafa of one less weakling?"

Woundwort was secretly pleased at this hlessi's strength. "Not today, Thlalyi. I've seen more than enough." As he watched Bigwig let Vervain go, the General continued, "You will make an excellent addition to the Owsla. The only issue left to address... would be to where to place you in Efrafa."

"General, as I am certain Captain Vervain has informed you," Campion stated, "we lost three rabbits to a homba on the Wide Patrol around ni-Frith today. With Mallow, Gorse, and Thistle gone, thus including Charlock and Bugloss, that's five officers in total dead in less than a week. I believe a post in the Wide Patrol would give Thlayli here a proper education of how Efrafa's Owsla compares to his old warren. And we will need all the soldiers we can muster, sir."

Woundwort contemplated this for a moment, then he agreed. "Yes, so we do. I've decided to appoint you Probationary Captain of Owsla, Thlayli, as well as an assigned post in the Wide Patrol, once Captain Campion has officially trained you. Campion, make sure he is thoroughly instructed in the ways of Efrafa."

Campion saluted. "Yes, sir."

"You will also be given quarter and flay-rah rations, like any in our Owsla," Woundwort added, chuckling. "Also... if you want a doe, you'll have a choice here. One does not serve in the Owsla simply for glory, after all."

Bigwig's eyes hardened in fury at such a cruel use the does are forced to do in Efrafa, especially if his darling Lily would be treated in such a fashion, but he kept his emotions in check. "Hmmm... thank you, General."

"Now, if that all you report, you are dismissed," Woundwort ended the interview, sending the others on their way.

The three rabbits bowed obediently. However, as Campion and Bigwig headed out, Vervain silently glared at him to follow them only to be stopped by his master.

"Hold, Captain Vervain!" Despite the newcomer's strength and lack of mercy toward Vervain, there was something different about this hlessi that threw Woundwort off track and he wanted to be sure of this, before he committed to allowing Thlayli to join his Owsla after losing plenty of officers in his warren. "This Thlayli… this hlessi has an odd scent about him. I am unsure whether his intentions are true or false. Watch him closely. Don't let him out of your sight."

Delighted, Vervain sneered obediently, "Ahhh… As you command, General."

No sooner had Vervain had gone, Lily felt a tap on her shoulder that startled her. Luckily, she didn't cry out so not to alarm the Efrafans. It was only Clover standing behind her.

"The guards are looking for you," Clover reported. "It's time for silflay."

"We'd best get outside," Lily replied. "And Bigwig is here, he's come to break us out!"

"Oh, thank Frith!" Clover beamed excitedly, though silently. "I do hope he has a plan to get us out," she added, retreating back to her burrow with her comrade.


	16. Secret Lovers in Efrafa

**_Warning: in this chapter, there will be sexual content between Bigwig and Lily. But still, read and enjoy this chapter! And Happy Easter to everyone:)_**

* * *

Throughout Bigwig's tour of Efrafa by Campion, neither of them had the knowledge of Vervain tailing their every move inside and outside of the massive warren. The two bucks came to the gathering place outside beyond the crooked tree where plenty of does were silflaying outside at the great base of the tree, until Bigwig paused upon noticing the unfortunate Blackavar sitting by the corner of the tunnel. The condition he was in made Bigwig's heart cry out to the poor dark rabbit, never had he seen such a tortured rabbit with ripped ears and multiple scars engraved on his body for always.

"Aren't you going to silflay?" Bigwig asked.

Blackavar cringed, at first convinced this larger rabbit would strike him, but then relaxed a bit when no strike came. "I don't silflay at this time, sir."

Campion came back, just about to explain Blackavar's presence when Chervil arrived and demanded, "Tell him why you're here, Blackavar."

"I've come here for the Mark..." Blackavar mumbled softly, until Chervil swiped at his ear to make him speak up louder, which he does out of terror, "I... I've come here for the Mark to see me, how… how I've been punished for trying to leave the warren." He cowered as Chervil glared sinisterly with the threat of swiping him again. "The council were merciful! THE COUNCIL WERE _MERCIFUL_!"

Instantly, Bigwig felt an immediate loathing toward Chervil for his bullying the poor dark rabbit. He could have taught Chervil a lesson easily, but with Campion in his presence and multiple warriors nearby, he forced himself to relax his tenseness for a fight.

"He keeps trying to run away," Chervil explained, shoving Blackavar aside so as to allow a line of does to come out for silflay. "Captain Campion here caught him this time. The Council ripped his ears and says he has to show himself every morning and every night at silflay as an example to the others. If you ask me, he won't last much longer. He'll meet a blacker rabbit than himself one of these nights."

_I hope to Frith that __**you**__ meet a blacker rabbit than yourself sooner than you think,_ Bigwig's thoughts fueled that promise.

"So, who's the hlessi, Captain?" asked Chervil, still smirking.

"This is Thlayli. He'll be joining our Owsla in Efrafa," answered Campion. "Woundwort has tasked me of demonstrating the ways of Efrafa to him."

"Well then, welcome to Efrafa, Thlayli. I trust that your presence will keep Blackavar, as well as these troublesome does, in line. With any luck and with you here, any thoughts of escape should _greatly_ diminish," Chervil chuckled sadistically, before he lolloped through the tunnel.

Aiming one last glare at that malicious rabbit, Bigwig followed after Campion as the Captain of Owsla brought him up one of the twisted exposed tree roots to give the newcomer a grand view of the warren. He watched the Efrafans standing guard at every spot or area of the warren as the does silflayed.

"Woundwort likes everyone kept in line, doesn't he?" observed Bigwig.

"Without order and control, there is no purpose," Campion responded.

"I'm all for strict military discipline, we can't have everyone going around thinking for themselves now, can we?" Bigwig played along with his charade quite well.

As Bigwig and Campion surveyed the current Mark at silflay, his eyes slightly glanced at a pair of familiar does silflaying with the others. _Don't worry, Lily. You'll be free come Frithdown..._

"Right. We'll tour the perimeter now," Campion remarked as he dismounted from his post, unaware that he had interrupted the lion buck's thoughts.

"Sounds lovely," Bigwig replied, regaining his composure as he followed behind Campion's lead, all the while Vervain kept his considerable distance behind the two rabbits. As he followed the Efrafan Captain, Bigwig kept a considerable close eye on Lily whilst she ate with Vilthuril, until Campion himself stopped near the Owsla rabbits supervising the Mark.

The brown buck looked up at the sun for a moment as if to assess the time of day, before addressing the guards, "Time's up for this Mark. Get them back underground."

The guards received the command quickly as they urged the does back underground, while Bigwig paused for a second to whisper, "Stay safe, Lily."

Stealing a soft smile in his direction, Lily lolloped close to her Mark as the guards escorted them back underground where their burrows were located. She could hear a strange noise combined with an eerie wind as they trotted deep underground. Arriving back inside their burrows, the does knew that Clover and Thethuthinnang were still outside silflaying with another Mark.

"That was Bigwig!" Lily explained to Vilthuril, who had seen this hlessi speaking to her roommate. "He's come here to get us out!"

"Get us out? But how?" Vilthuril questioned, unsure.

"He'll do it. I believe it."

"One rabbit against Woundwort and his Owsla? Bigwig won't stand a chance!"

"More than one rabbit," Lily sternly reminded her. "We can help, but we must be ready when our chance comes."

* * *

Meanwhile, Campion led Bigwig away from the silflay area to tour him further out towards the perimeter. Of course, Bigwig finally began to sense something or someone trailing behind the bucks as he briefly stopped to look behind him.

"We're being followed," he said.

"Best get used to it, Thlayli. In Efrafa, someone's _always_ watching," Campion pointed out to the hlessi as he continued along the path.

Bigwig remarked in a quiet sotto voice, "That makes things difficult."

A few moments later, as Bigwig surveyed the Efrafan lay of the land, his eyes soon caught sight of something not found in any mention of rabbit lore, causing him to stop before calling out to the officer, "Oy, Campion!"

Hearing the hlessi calling him, the captain trailed back to find him staring at what was considerably familiar to every Efrafan soldier: a skull standing still on a tree stump, faced as if to stare down any outside threat.

"Is _that_ what it looks like?"

"That fox came a few seasons ago, looking for an easy meal."

"Doesn't look like things worked out for the fox."

"No. It met with Woundwort and the Owsla. The General ordered the skull to be left here as a warning to other invaders."

As Bigwig looked on, it became very clear that these Efrafans were not to be trifled with, especially if they could take down a homba like that. Still, the only thing that would make it worse is… "How many did you lose in the battle?"

"None," Campion replied nonchalantly before resuming his way to the perimeter, leaving Bigwig subtly stunned.

An entire fox killed and no losses? "_Very_ difficult, indeed," Bigwig remarked in a quiet sotto voce before following Campion from behind.

As Campion and Bigwig were returning to the borders of Efrafa, this time close to the courtyard within the twin towers, Campion looked up into the sky for a brief moment before abruptly stopping in his tracks. "Oh_... _Frith and Inlé above!"

"Something the matter, Captain?" asked Bigwig, as he too stopped.

"With the homba, your arrival, and this tour… I nearly forgot I've got a digging crew to supervise soon…"

_This could be my chance to better look for any more holes in their security…_ Bigwig thought to himself. "Sir, if I may, why not let me have a look on my own for a bit while you deal with the diggers? I think I can find my way around."

"As much as I'd like to trust you on your own, you're _still_ on probation. I can't leave you unsupervised until you've been properly trained."

Bigwig inwardly groaned before asking, "And _when_ will that be, Captain?"

"When the General _says_ you've been trained. Now…" Campion started to look around for any officer to take his stead in touring Thlayli around, "…I'll need to find someone to-" Soon, his eyes spotted a familiar dark grey sergeant coming their way.

"Captain Campion, I was looking all over for you! You've got that digging crew to-" Sainfoin began to relay before the Captain interrupted him.

"I know, Sainfoin. I was about to head there myself… and it seems Frith sent you here just in time. Meet Thlayli, our newest captain-in-training," Campion replied as he introduced the hlessi to the sergeant who eyed the buck with an intrigue, masking suspicion.

"So… _you're_ Thlayli. The hlessi who trounced Vervain in front of the General… right?" asked Sainfoin, as he looked over the hlessi. "Well… I certainly see _why_ he'd let you join us, given your size and obvious strength," he remarked before giving a slight chuckle and continuing, a note of venom in the last word, "Still… don't expect the entire Owsla to accept you fully, hlessi. You may have earned the General's interest, but you haven't gained our trust, least of all _mine_."

"Sainfoin," Campion lightly but firmly scolded the sergeant. "Since you wish him to earn your trust, while I'm overlooking the digging crew, perhaps _you'd_ like to show him around the rest of the warren."

"Well, it would be my _privilege_, Captain." Sainfoin bowed his head. "After all… if this hlessi needs to be trained, it should be from _me._"

"_Watch_ yourself, Sergeant!" warned Campion. "Know that if Thlayli makes a wrong move, it'll be _you_ I come and find. The General needs as many able rabbits for the Owsla as we can gather. Now, am I clear?"

Sainfoin gave a slight growl before recomposing himself. "As clear as water, sir."

"As you were," Campion stated before heading off… until he stopped for a moment to turn back to the lion maned buck. "And Thlayli? Try _not_ to leave the warren unsupervised. As I said, you're still under probation." He turned back and hopped off to his assigned post.

"Who'd wanna leave?" Bigwig remarked with a light smirk.

"Who, indeed? So, where was Campion about to take you, then?" Sainfoin asked

Bigwig thought quickly, before realizing there _was_ one task he had to do to plan out the escape. "Actually, sir… he was about to show me where the does were in Efrafa. I've only seen a few on silflay, but other than that, it's like a ghost warren here."

"Was he now? Fine." Sainfoin relented and began to hop towards to where the majority of does were silflaying, followed by Thlayli soon after. "So… looks like you became the _second_ rabbit to give that _hufsa_ a proper thrashing, eh?"

"'Second', sir? Who was the first?"

"A doe, a farm rabbit. Tore a part of Vervain's ear clean off..." Sainfoin explained. "Wouldn't be surprised if he started avoiding her after that, being a coward. And to think she's the same doe who killed Charlock and Bugloss near the Iron Road, and even helped a few outsiders escape…"

_Lily did __**that**__ to him?_ Bigwig thought to himself, trying not to smile, but another dreaded thought came to him. _Don't know whether to be surprised that she could put out a proper fight, or worried that she made herself a powerful enemy… or turned on about the idea of my doe trouncing a buck in combat. _"Well… at first, when you told me that, I would have believed it. But if a doe could kill _two_ officers at once… I'd think twice before assuming she wouldn't kill again."

"I'd think so, too." Sainfoin brought Bigwig to the courtyard feeding grounds where several does were silflaying. "I suppose you've been told that, as an officer, you can request any doe to join you in your burrow for mating. Eh?...Uhhh, except that one..." he pointed out to Clover, whom ate grass by her lonesome, "she's out of bounds."

"Why is that?"

"She's a hutch rabbit, and the General's got his eye on her. He wants her to be his Queen, is what I heard."

Though he was careful not to show emotions, Bigwig's eyes widened in dreaded horror. "Well, the General sounds like the lucky one." He needed to talk to Clover and quick. "I'm going to silflay for a second."

"Ugh, make it quick. I don't want to be holding your paw all day," groaned Sainfoin, using his foot to scratch his ear.

Once Bigwig infiltrated the silflay area, he managed to get himself closer to Clover, whom was overjoyed to see him.

"Bigwig!" she cried, through a whisper.

"Don't look up!" Bigwig hushed her, keeping his head down as he urged her to keep her head focused on the ground. "They're watching and they're already suspicious. I've come to break you out. It has to be tonight."

"Tonight?!"

"Be ready, find a reason to get above ground. Tell the others."

Clover shook her head, slightly yet sadly. "The others won't have anything to do with me. Vilthuril and Thethuthinnang are the only ones who like me and Lily, but Nettle's been criticizing Thethuthinnang for her loyalty and now she won't talk to me." She signaled toward the ringleader of the does ahead of them. "The one in the middle is Hyzenthlay. If we can convince her, the others will follow."

"Leave it to me," Bigwig assured her. "Oh, I almost forgot. Hazel says hello." And with that, he left a relieved Clover back to her silflay to rejoin an impatient Sainfoin.

"Thlayli, she's _out of bounds_," he reminded.

"I heard you the first time," Bigwig retorted.

"So... any _others_ catch your eye?"

While Bigwig thought for moment, only one doe had captured his interest. He would have to wait and talk to Hyzenthlay later on. "As a matter of fact, yes..."

* * *

Deep within the darkened burrows underground, Bigwig waited patiently for his darling Lily to be brought to him. He recently made a request for the farm doe brought to his burrow, with the intention of teaching her a lesson for causing trouble for Vervain and the General. Sainfoin agreed willingly, so he carried out the order at once.

Two guards named Thunder and Moneywort forcibly hauled Lily in, though one of them shoved her to the ground. Bigwig's claws buried in the earth, fuming silently. He could have torn out their ears for their actions, but he kept his temper under control.

Just as the two guards left the scene and were out of earshot, Bigwig beckoned, "Lily! Come in here, close beside me. Don't let anyone be suspicious."

Lily obeyed, and the second the two moved deeper into the shadow of the darkened burrow, she threw her arms around his maned neck, nuzzling him affectionately. "I've never been so glad to see you in my life!"

"And so am I, Lily my darling." Bigwig returned the embrace with equal affection, until he got serious with her. "I heard about what you did to Vervain and while I'm proud of you, promise me you won't try to make more enemies here."

"I wasn't trying to start a fight!" Lily explained herself, frowning. "Vervain was picking on Hyzenthlay about her sister, Primrose. She was the first doe to plan an escape, until she was executed. I believe it's the reason why Hyzenthlay is distrustful toward newcomers, especially when there are spies everywhere, so we must be careful."

"I understand." Bigwig nodded. "Look, we're going to make a break for it tonight. As soon as we're finished here, I'll try to speak to Hyzenthlay about our plan."

"Tonight?" Lily gaped in disbelief. "But there will be every guard on duty, and the Efrafans will be all over us like a pack of wolves the second we make a break for it!"

"Not to worry, lass. Kehaar will chase them off by air."

"All right, so what is it that you mean when you said you'll find Hyzenthlay after we're finished here? Does this mean our plans are set into motion?"

"Not exactly, Lily. There is another reason why I wanted you in my burrow." Bigwig caressed her cheek with his paw tenderly. He made sure that no Efrafan was close by to eavesdrop on what he had prepared to confess to his doe. "I love you, Lily. The first time I saw you, I felt love for the first time in my life. At first, I wanted to keep you for myself, because I knew I would always protect you. But I realize now that I behaved selfishly and it wasn't fair for me to isolate you from our friends. And the true reason I brought you here is because..."

Lily stared up at him, unable to hide her surprise. Bigwig was actually professing his love for her. After the kiss they shared a few days ago at Watership Down, she didn't think he'd actually confess to her, until now. Her heart racing in her chest that reached her ears, blocking out what else he intended to say to her.

"Uhh, Lily? Are you okay?" At first, Bigwig feared she had gone tharn by his confession. "If it was something I just said, I didn't mean to..." His words cut off by Lily pressing her lips against his own.

Bigwig got caught off guard by the sudden kiss, but he caved in as he returned the kiss with equal passion. His arms circled around her waist to pull her closer, while her paws clutched at the back of his head and mane. He slipped his tongue into her mouth to engage in combat with her tongue. While he kissed her for several minutes, he began to grind his little dick against her lower front so to arouse himself. Lily moaned, through locked lips, feeling a wetness forming in her entrance at his grinding. If this is what it felt like to being the mating ritual, she had a feeling that she was going to enjoy this for the rest of her life.

Once their lips parted to catch their breath, Lily whispered, "Somehow, the moment I first saw you, I knew I loved you."

"Then let me show you how much I really love you," Bigwig whispered, in a husky voice filled with love and lust.

He carefully guided her to lay on her stomach as the lion buck positioned himself on top of her, slyly gliding his dick across her entrance.

"This is going to hurt," he warned.

"Never mind the pain," she assured, "please, do it."

The doe gasped sharply as he slipped inside, small drops of blood forming in the process. Extending her claws, Lily grasped at the earth as she groaned in pain. Before she could object, Bigwig began a rhythm he desired for so long. She didn't complain nor protest. The pain was just as much pleasure as she imagined.

With heavy breathing, Bigwig plunged ever deeper inside of her. He found the strength and speed he never felt before. His large paws pressing down on her paws, almost as if reassuring her. The lion buck playfully nibbled at the base of her neck, causing the doe to release cries of pleasure. He knew how to make a doe want him, but he never had much experience with does back in Sandleford before due to his massive size and intimidating appearance. But Lily here is special and she was never afraid of him, and she accepted him for who he is. She had surprised him in ways he couldn't imagine, and he couldn't have asked for a better doe to be his mate.

Throughout their mating, or rather love making, a familiar black and bearded buck came snooping in the tunnels to search for Thlayli. Vervain's ears caught a strange moaning from one of the burrows, so he following the noises as he came to a stop at one particular burrow where the strange moaning came from. Peering inside the darkness, Vervain's eyes bulged out of his head in shock and disgust at what he witnessed: Thlayli was in the position of… of _breeding_ with that troublesome farm doe. Without alerting his presence, an embarrassed Vervain decided to come back later when Thlayli isn't busy.

As Bigwig sheathed deeper than ever, Lily cried out as she felt herself go limp in her climax, and it wasn't long afterwards that he released his own climax inside. Feeling exhausted, he slowly pulled out of her and collapsed to the ground. Both rabbits panted heavily, tired but filled with bliss.

"Oh, Frith! That felt good," sighed Bigwig. "How are you feeling?"

"It was the most magical moment of my life," said Lily. "Now, what was it again that you planned to do after this?"

"I need to find Hyzenthlay."

* * *

_"Long ago..._  
_The orange beetles clung to the rye-grass stems_  
_The windy grass was waving, a buck and doe_  
_Ran through the meadow, they scratched a hole in the bank_  
_They did what they pleased all under the hazel leaves_  
_But the beetles died in the frost and my heart is dark_  
_And I shall never choose a mate again_

_The frost is falling, the frost falls into my body_  
_My nostrils, my ears are torpid under the frost,_  
_The swift will come in the spring, crying "News! News!_  
_Does, dig holes and flow with milk for your litters."_  
_I shall not hear, the embryos return_  
_Into my dulled body, across my sleep_  
_There runs a wire to imprison the wind_  
_I shall never feel the wind blowing again."_

"That's a sad tale for a group of pretty does," interrupted Bigwig, who had been looking for Hyzenthlay when he found her underneath a smaller crooked tree close by, overhearing her saddened story that she told to other does that tugged at his heartstrings.

"Who are you?!" Hyzenthlay grunted, half startled yet half irked.

"He's the buck who's been getting busy between Lily's legs; that's what _I_ heard," Nelthilta snickered, and some of the does giggled.

Bigwig's face turned a deep shade of red. "How do you know _that_?"

"Word gets around."

"And it is not a story, it's a poem and it's the _truth_!" retorted Hyzenthlay.

"You Hyzenthlay? I want to talk to you," Bigwig said, ushering the other does away to give them some privacy.

"I'm in the Mark and under your orders," Hyzenthlay replied. "But you have made a mistake."

"No, I haven't and you needn't be afraid." Bigwig sat close beside her. "My name is Bigwig. I was sent here to break you free. You, the does and anyone else who wants to come."

Two Efrafan soldiers passed by, but neither of them took notice of Bigwig and Hyzenthlay, as long as Bigwig made sure they weren't seen talking.

"Tonight, if you can, get outside," the lion buck instructed. "A great bird will come to help us escape."

"Why should I believe you?" Hyzenthlay dismissed.

"I'm a friend of Captain Holly!" he insisted.

"You're lying!" she accused.

Luckily, Bigwig knew how to convince her that he is a friend of Holly. "He said that when he closes his eyes and thinks of something that makes him happy, he doesn't think of spring mornings and sow thistle, he thinks of you."

Hyzenthlay stared in surprise, realizing that Holly is in love with her, feelings that she clearly yet secretly reciprocates.

"He thinks of how you saved him," Bigwig added, softly. He waited for two more Efrafans to walk by until they were out of earshot. "Clover is one of us, and the reason Lily and I mated is because she is my true love. They'll help you spread the word to the does. I'll go and find Blackavar. The poor wretch has suffered here long enough." Finally managing to convince Hyzenthlay to trust him, he said, "All right, go."

Before she left to return to her Mark, Hyzenthlay paused and glanced back at him. "Bigwig, promise me this will work. If it doesn't-"

"It will!" Bigwig promised.

And with enough said, Hyzenthlay left to spread the word amongst the does. Bigwig sighed in relief, although in the back of his mind, he truly hoped this plan will work. Because if it doesn't, he will be forced to meet the Black Rabbit of Inlé tonight.


	17. Questioning Loyalty

Near the other side of the warren, Vervain was en route to report his findings with the General regarding Thlayli's loyalties and intentions, but his mind was still a tad disturbed by the new captain's… liaison with Lily. Normally, mating would not have moved him in the slightest, but oddly enough… there was a sort of untold passion between both rabbits that unnerved and disturbed him, having seen only the does submitting without responding in such circumstances. However, his thoughts and path were halted when suddenly he hopped into another buck, his own brother, Orchis.

"Vervain... why in such a hurry, brother? You… Good Frith, you look as though you've seen the Black Rabbit," he remarks, taking slight pleasure in Vervain's expression.

"Never you mind, Orchis!" the bearded rabbit retorted. "Now, if you don't mind, I have words to speak with the General."

As Vervain was about to resume his route, Orchis blocked his path. "Not so fast, brother. You haven't forgotten our little arrangement, have you? We share any knowledge we each gather to each other, we act on said information, and the General commends us both."

Vervain growled a bit, remembering his little pact with his younger brother. "I know the pact, but this information is strictly for the General."

"As was the information regarding the escape attempt of Blackavar earlier today."

"Which Captain Campion prevented, with no part from me!"

"An unforeseen circumstance, brother. Still… we both know how the General feels about secrets and information not being reported to him first… don't you?" Orchis smirked, slyly. "I wonder how'd he feel if I told him that you were keeping secrets from him?"

Vervain contemplated this for a moment, before reluctantly giving into his request. "The General asked me to dig into the new officer."

"Oh… you mean, Thlayli?" Orchis chuckled in knowing what has been heard about him. "I heard he gave you quite a trouncing when he came…" he said before eying the tear in Vervain's ear, "like the doe who left you that sizable divot on you."

Vervain interrupted his brother by continuing, "And on his order, I trailed him today and then while he went back to Efrafa, I found a few interesting details where the homba attacked and killed those three scouts." He looked around before continuing in a hushed tone. "I needed to confirm something. I took a closer sniff at the tracks the fox was trailing. The scent was faint, but… it smelled almost like Thlayli's."

Orchis' eyes widened a bit with slight intrigue. "Really? And this is unusual, because…?"

"Because Thlayli failed to mention being chased by a homba earlier before his arrival. After all, anything out of the ordinary is to be reported, so why keep such a vital detail secret? Of course, my next instinct was to ask Thlayli about it, see if whether or not he can explain. However, before I could, I caught him in… well, a compromising position with one of our does, so I left them be as quietly and quickly as I could."

"You? You've walked in on our officers breeding with our does before, and only now this instance bothered you? Ha! Dare I wonder if you're starting to soften, brother? Or were you starting to fancy the new officer yourself, imaging yourself in the doe's place?" Orchis remarked jokingly at the thought of his brother's surprisingly vulnerability to a breeding.

"Don't you even…" Vervain scowled at such a joke his brother made. "I would never, especially not in her place! Oh… that damn Lily and all who breed her ilk! With any luck, her broods will be cursed with the White Blindness and-"

"Wait!" Orchis interrupted his brother's rant before gawking at him, the cruel pleasure with his brother's misfortunes now turned to pure envy and contempt. "Did you say… Lily was the one being bred by… by Thlayli?"

"Yes, it's what I saw, brother! The farm doe and the new officer who trounced me individually were in his quarters, flagrantly showing more passion than El-ahrairah did with his many wives."

Though Orchis did not show it, his contempt and rage began to bubble furiously towards the idea of any buck having their way with… with his doe. When she was first caught by Orchis, something about her beauty and spirit struck within him, making him desire this farm rabbit more than anything, wanting to make her his and his alone. And now this hlessi officer dared to take his doe as his mate? One thing was made clear. "Brother… go tell the General what you know… but I want to be there personally when we interrogate that, that… that hufsa hraka of a hlessi!"

"It's what I intended to do, Orchis. Now stand aside."

"I will… but just one more thing."

Vervain rolled his eyes in exasperation. "What is it?"

"When Thlayli is executed for his treason… I want Lily for myself. You can have the General's ears, for all I care. And I want you to assure no harm will come to her …especially from you."

On the one paw, Vervain was shocked by his brother's choice of words, sacrificing his claim on the council just for one doe. However, on the other hand, one less councilor with Woundwort's ear means Vervain has a stronger chance of elevating and cementing his station in Efrafa. With a slight smirk, he was amused by the idea of using his brother's lust to control him.

"Well, if that's all, then of course you may have her after Thlayli is dealt with. Do with her as you wish; I certainly don't care. After all… her being broken after the loss of her mate is reward enough for me." Before he could hop off, Vervain's expression turned to that of a threatening one. "However… should your obsession with this farm doe backfire at the expense of the warren, I'll inform the General that it was your affections that led to such things!" he warned his brother before hopping off.

* * *

Word spread fast amongst the does of Thlayli's true motives of breaking them out of Efrafa forever, though some remain skeptical of him, others eagerly agreed to cooperate in the attempted escape. However, Bigwig couldn't find a loophole to free Blackavar as the poor buck was heavily guarded, and he was careful to stay out of sight of the guards. Hyzenthlay organized the does to use the digging crew as part of their escape. Clover and Lily joined them, spending all afternoon with a small group of does to create a tunnel leading to the outside of the warren.

Vilthuril kept watch to make sure no guards got suspicious, most of all Captain Campion, being in charge of the digging crew. Lily dug the fastest, not since the time Bigwig got caught in a snare, but Clover's paws started to tire her out as she dug with all of her speed.

Then, Hyzenthlay instantly decided to assist them as she came between them and buried her paws rapidly in the earth, saying, "Here. Let me take over, sisters." She decided to give the hutch rabbits a chance to trust them, even though she knew Lily and rescued her once, something in the back of her mind told her to make amends with her.

"Thank you," Lily said, gratefully.

Campion seemed to be muttering over the problem of a possible rainstorm approaching tomorrow and the digging job had to be done as fast as, then a minor problem occurred for the does. The problem; Nelthilta.

The cheeky Nelthilta stopped digging on her own accord, smirking cheekily and impudently at him, "Under the weather, Captain? Brace up! You may have a surprise soon. Who knows?"

"What do you mean?" asked Campion, raising his eyebrow.

"Does might grow wings and fly."

Campion looked puzzled by her words. He looked as though he were going to stop her and question what she meant, when Moss called to him and he left.

Infuriated, Thethuthinnang paused her work and gave the careless Nelthilta a harsh cuff across her face, hurting her. "You stupid little beast!" she chided. "Are you trying to give us away?! This is why nobody trust you to keep secrets!"

"I was only-" Nelthilta protested, but a silent crowd of death squints kept her quiet.

Outside the courtyard, Bigwig's anxious eyes scanned the graying sky for the gull. "Come on, Kehaar. Where is he?" he wondered.

Just then, a small part of the ground opened up beside him and the earth fell in. Seven does emerged out of the hole, shaking the dirt off themselves. It was Hyzenthlay, Clover, Lily, Nettle, Vilthuril, Nelthilta and Thethuthinnang.

"By Frith, how long have you been digging?" asked Bigwig.

"All afternoon," replied Nettle. "What now? What's the plan? We need to move before we're spotted."

"Where is Kehaar?" Lily inquired, puzzled.

"Curse him!" Bigwig cursed, furious of the gull's foolishness to avoid showing up when they needed him. "Where is he?" His eyes studied the sky, waiting impatiently for Kehaar, but there was no sign of him nor a squawk. If he's not coming, the gull must have abandoned them out of cowardice or selfishness, that was it. Bigwig knew he couldn't trust that bird, let alone trust one to rescue them. And what of poor Blackavar? He can't leave him behind to suffer in Efrafa's claws. But he realized they had no choice but to escape on foot. He will have to come back for him somehow. "Look, we'll just have to run for it. Follow me."

The lion buck prepared to lead the does out of Efrafa when suddenly Captain Campion, sided by Moss and Sainfoin, arrived with his bucks to cut them off before they could make their way out.

Upon arrival, Campion's eyes were directed at the officer standing with the does. "Thlayli, what's going on here? We're waiting!"

Acting quickly, Bigwig responded quickly, "There was a collapse in one of the tunnels because of the dry weather. I moved these does out here in case there was another."

Suspicious of his story, Sainfoin stepped forward to address the officer. "On whose authority?"

"My own, actually. I heard cries for help and I acted and-"

"Wake up, Thlayli! You've been tricked!" shouted Moss.

Campion stepped forward to calm the corporal. "At ease, Moss, I need you to take three of our bucks down with you into the tunnels. See if this story of theirs is true."

Moss looked surprised at this request. "And if it's true and there's another cave-in, then…?"

"Then I'm counting on you to get yourself and those soldiers out before you're all trapped. Can I count on you, Corporal?"

"Yes, sir!" Moss responded before heading down with three of the bucks to the digging scrapes.

Meanwhile, Campion addressed the rest of his bucks. "Take these does down to the Deep Burrows. We'll hold them there until we can get all the facts about this."

As the bucks began to surround Thlayli and the escaped does, Campion's eyes locked with the lion-maned officer, as if he was trying to read his expression. However, Hyzenthlay needed to keep Campion from discovering any possibility of Thlayli being a traitor, so with a grunt she ran to attack Campion, only to stopped and held down by Sainfoin.

"Wrong move, doe," Sainfoin remarked darkly. "Let's see what good being in the Deep Burrows will do you. I heard it said that Frith will be right over Efrafa tomorrow, and he'll be giving quite a scorcher then."

As Sainfoin and the bucks lead the attempted escapees to the Deep Burrows, Campion and Bigwig were left on the courtyard.

"Well, Campion?" inquired Bigwig. "What about me?"

"What about you?"

"I know you don't trust me about all this, given the circumstances. If the roles were reversed, I wouldn't trust you either, Captain."

"Maybe, but unlike you, Thlayli, I prefer to keep reasonable doubt until we get all the facts," lectured Campion. "As far as I know, you were tricked. However, the General may not see it like that, so I'd advise not attempting more… heroics here in Efrafa. Anything of the sort could be seen as an act of treason."

"So, we do nothing, even if it means the loss of rabbits?"

"All we can do is make sure there is order and cooperation between the Owsla and the does. If all the does cooperate under our laws, the Owsla may not need to punish them at all for lighter offenses."

"And should our officers take advantage of their cooperation for their own interests… what do we do then?"

"Just because the idea is fair, it does not make it perfect. But it's not like there's a better way to handle it without risking an uprising. That being said…just watch yourself, Thlayli. Here in Efrafa, all we can do is keep order and security, even if we have to take away certain freedoms from our fellow rabbits. Don't cause trouble…" Campion's cold blue eyes narrowed, "and trouble won't come find you later."

As Campion left to rejoin the other bucks, Bigwig was left in hidden dismay, all the while wondering what might have been if that hraka gull had showed up as he promised.

* * *

Meanwhile, Vervain was relaying his report to the General who was surprised by the news.

"I'm sure of it, sire! The rabbit that the fox was chasing and led it to kill those scouts had a scent very similar to Thlayli's. Also, when I saw him with that farm doe, Lily, the guards that brought her to his burrow informed me that Thlayli's intent was to 'teach her a lesson.' Of course, it could be coincidental, but-"

"Hmmm… the homba kills our scouts... Thlayli arrives to join our Owsla to fulfill the need for more officers… and then, instead of punishing Lily for her behavior, he chooses to mate with her, as if he had planned to for some time," Woundwort mumbled slowly, as if he was piecing together a theory that he and Vervain shared. "Vervain… at Frith-up tomorrow, find Thlayli and bring him to me."

Vervain gave a smug chuckle before he bowed. "With pleasure, General."

* * *

The next morning, the Efrafan does are held in their prison burrow within the Deep Burrow being crushed by the heat of the sun, though some managed to stay in the shadows to stay cool, it wasn't enough to avoid the summer heart. The escape plan failed yesterday after the does had been recaptured and Kehaar had failed to come to their aid, causing great doubt among them, believing the gull had abandoned them.

Clover approached a weakened Hyzenthlay to say this, "Hyzenthlay..." she glanced up to make sure the guard, Chervil, wasn't listening, "Bigwig thinks there might be a spy amongst us."

"If that's true, one of the does must have informed the guards of our escape attempt," Lily agreed, moving closer to them.

"He's wrong!" Hyzenthlay refused to believe such a thing. "These does are my sisters, my family. There's no spy here."

"Listen, at night they have two guards down here at most," Nettle suggested. "If we rush them, maybe some of us will get out."

"But even if we escaped the Deep Burrows, there'd be guards on each Mark entrance," Thethuthinnang added.

"We have to do something," agreed Clover, pleased the other does are still open to another escape attempt.

"Stop!" Hyzenthlay interrupted, sadly discouraged at the idea of escaping. "Listen to me, all of you..." she announced, catching the does' attention. "My stay of execution ends today. Before they take me, I want you to promise me one thing. Stop fighting, they will always win."

"But, Sister, we must-" Nettle protested, but she was silenced.

"You all keep hoping for the winds to stop blowing when instead you should learn to steel yourself against them," Hyzenthlay urged, repeating what her tormentor Orchis once told her. "And you..." she frowned at the stupefied Lily, "stop trying to be like Primrose. I've been trying to be like her all my life to help these does, but it's over. It's better to surrender yourself to Efrafa."

"Don't give up yet," Clover refused, "There's still hope."

"Hey, you!"

The startled does glanced up to see a smirking Sainfoin standing beside Chervil.

"Hyzenthlay…" Sainfoin requested, "Captain Orchis wishes to see you."

Before obeying his request, Hyzenthlay bitterly advised Clover, "There you go again with your hope, Clover. In Efrafa, hope is your enemy." The battered doe climbed out of the pit and as escorted to the Council's chamber for her meeting with Orchis.

No sooner had she left, Sainfoin turned his attention to the does and bellowed, "Now it is come to my attention that some of you have been singing. Anyone caught doing this will face severe punishment."

The does grew more discouraged than ever at this, even when Hyzenthlay's execution will happen, it will spell the end of their rebellion. Lily glowered at Sainfoin before he left, wishing how she could have torn his ears off instead of Vervain. Suddenly Thethuthinnang collapsed, worrying Lily and Clover as they rushed to her side.

"It's the heat!" Nettle explained the runt's condition. "She's exhausted!"

"What will become of us without Hyzenthlay?" rasped Thethunthinnang. "Without her to lead us, we're done for."

"This is all Nelthilta's fault!" Vilthuril whirled around to cast a sharp scowl at her cheeky little doe, shouted accusingly, "They're aware of what we've done because of her stupid carelessness!"

"I didn't do anything!" Nelthilta grew defensive, offended.

None of the does believed her, as it was known for Nelthilta to be untrustworthy when it comes to keeping secrets from the Owsla, then Nettle scorned as she blamed her sister, "If you hadn't opened your big mouth, we wouldn't be here now! Unless...you're the spy!"

"How dare you accuse me! I am not a spy! I would never betray my friends!"

"Stop lying, you little beast!"

"SILENCE!" bellowed Chervil, as he put an end to the does' quarrel.

Coming up with a solution to save Hyzenthlay, Clover scowled determinedly as she approached Chervil, requesting, "I need to see the General."

"No." Chervil refused.

"I am the hutch rabbit with the ear of General Woundwort!"

After considering this for a moment, Chervil shrugged his shoulders and allowed Clover to be escorted by Campion to the General's quarters.

"What do we do about Hyzenthlay?" Nettle asked the exhausted Thethuthinnang and concerned Lily "You heard her. They'll kill her before Frith-down. If she dies, we don't just lose a sister, we lose any chance of getting out of this place."

"And it's not just Hyzenthlay who will die soon," whispered Vilthuril, "I heard one of the guards mention that Blackavar will be killed next after Hyzenthlay is executed."

Lily pondered over this situation, pacing back and forth as she tried to figure out a plan to save Hyzenthlay, Blackavar and the other does all at the same time. Tears threatened to sting in her eyes, confused and angry. How could their escape attempt fail so easily? How did the guards know? Who is the spy amongst their rank? Why did things have to happen this way? If only Hazel was here because he knew out to come up with a plan to everything. Hyzenthlay's words had an effect on her as she gradually realized there might be no chance nor hope of escaping this hell. Pausing under the shade from the scorching sun, Lily began to weep softly.

* * *

Meanwhile, Clover had climbed up through the open entrance to the General's burrow, and this time, she was prepared to speak up for herself and prepared for the sacrifice she was willing to make, instead of growing fearfully silent as she once did during her first encounter with the chief rabbit.

"I've come to make a deal," she said.

"So, you do have a voice," said Woundwort, his blind eye blinking upon her entering.

"I'll consider being your queen, but on one condition," Clover offered, bravely. "Hyzenthlay must live." She hoped the giant rabbit would agree to her deal, but what he said next was not what hoped.

"No, you have misunderstood the situation," Woundwort rejected her offer, chuckling as he approaches her, threateningly. "I am not a rabbit who makes deals. Either you choose to become my queen, or you live out your days in the Deep Burrows... it matters_ little _to me_ which_."

He backed her up toward the hole, forcing Clover to slip and fall out. The General stared down at her with a dark scowl, before he retreated back to his burrow.

"Don't try to make deals with him to save the does," Campion advised, escorting her back to the pit. "You need to learn to accept your place in Efrafa."

Dejected, Clover didn't bother to make a retort nor did she try to speak.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bigwig had been in a proper fit since his attempt to help Clover, Lily, Hyzenthlay, and the other does escape became a flop since their "secret weapon" failed to arrive on schedule. Of course, he was not just worried for the does in general, but he was especially worried about Lily. Even though Campion said he did not suspect him, Bigwig still had to keep on his paws since his death could very well endanger Lily's life. He had to do all he could to protect his mate without arousing suspicion. However, his thoughts were interrupted when he heard a dark bearded rabbit clear their throat from right behind him.

"Thlayli! I was looking all over for you," Vervain remarked as he hopped over to him.

"Really? Thought after the last thrashing I gave you, you'd want to avoid me."

"Oh yes… you thought you did well to impress the General," added Vervain, smirking wickedly. "But interest is not the same as trust. And somehow he _doesn't_ trust you fully. And you know why?...It is because _I_ don't trust you fully, Thlayli."

"What's this about? Unless you got something to say, I'm to help Sainfoin with morning silflay and-"

Before he could continue, two guards, Avens and Marjoram, blocked his path, issuing a growl from Bigwig.

"That won't be necessary, because I was instructed to escort you to the Chief's burrow. General Woundwort wants a word with you," he cackled darkly before smugly telling the officer. "You're under arrest!"

* * *

"Psst! Lily!"

A familiar voice brought Lily out of her weeping; her ears pricked up as she searched the pit for who said her name. No doe was looking at her and no one spoke to her.

"Behind you!"

To her surprise, there was Hannah hiding within a small crack in the wall at her feet. The mouse put a finger to her lips, gesturing her to be silent.

"Hannah!" Lily began to cry again, but this time with tears of joy.

"Quiet, lass! Lower yourself to the ground," the mouse advised in a whisper, "don't let those weirdos hear you. I just managed to sneak in on Hazel's orders to check up on you, Clover, Bigwig and the does."

Lily carefully got on all fours, her face kept focused on the crack and out of the guard's sight. "What happened to Kehaar? He was supposed to show up yesterday!"

"I thought you knew," Hannah replied, baffled. "He didn't show up to meet the rest of us at the river. I think something's wrong. We assumed the Efrafans suspected what was going on and attacked Kehaar."

"I doubt that, because Kehaar wasn't attacked by the guards," responded Lily. "We got caught by the guards when we tried to escape. I think what Clover said about a spy tattling on us to the guards is the reason why we-"

"A spy, you say?" Hannah's expression darkened. "Funny you should mention that, because on my way here..." the mouse double checked to make sure nobody was listening, "I recently passed a doe reporting to the guards about your involvement with the breakout. I believe they said her name is Nettle, and one of them said she did the right thing telling them about it."

"Frith and Inlé!" Lily gaped, her eyes enlarged in horror and disbelief. Just recently, Nettle had been called away by the guards for something important one of them said as an excuse, and then she put two and two together. "Nettle _is_ the spy!" Now it all made sense. That's why Campion and the guards found them so easily. Nelthilta was not the reason their plans were betrayed. Nettle just needed to use someone for a scapegoat. If that is true, it can be the reason for every escape attempt had failed and the reason why Primrose... this piece of news put a spark of hope in Lily's heart as the wheels in her brain began turning like clockwork. She was thrilled to have inherited cunning and tricks that El-ahrairah gave her or she wouldn't have come up with such a brilliant scheme to use this info against Nettle and the Efrafans.

"Uhh, lass? Are you alright?" Hannah noticed the doe's facial expression had frozen in a mixture of relief and bewilderment.

"I think El-ahrairah has given me an idea!" Lily beamed, though she kept her voice quiet so not to alert the guard. "Hannah, I'm very glad you are here because I have a job for you..." She leaned in close enough to whisper her plan in the mouse's ear.

Hannah's features lit up. "Okay, I'll do it!"

And with that, the mouse scurried off through the small tunnels and tiny spaces to find the imprisoned Hyzenthlay. She was careful not to be seen by the Efrafan guards, for who knows how they will take to a mouse in their warren. In that instant, Hannah overheard some voices within the Council's chamber and one of them she recognized as Bigwig's voice. Something must be wrong, it could involve Hyzenthlay, so the mouse decided to go investigate.

Hannah followed the sounds to an open crack just above the chief's burrow, where to her horror she saw Bigwig surrounded by the Efrafan captains and the Council and facing General Woundwort on his pedestal. "That is the _biggest_ rabbit I have ever seen!" the mouse whispered in dread.

"So Thlayli… tell us," Vervain interrogated. "On your travel to Efrafa… have you had any troubles along the way?"

Bigwig looked around, figuring that Woundwort did not want to take chances with him, or else he would not have called forth his strongest bucks and a few strongest members of his Council to surround him.

"No trouble I couldn't handle myself, sir." Bigwig wished he didn't have to call Vervain 'sir,' it sickened him.

"Really?" Woundwort calmly turned to Vervain. "Tell Thlayli what you told me yesterday."

Vervain smugly looked toward the hlessi before approaching him and addressing the General and his fellow Owsla and Council. "Thlayli was outrunning a fox before coming here… the same fox which killed Sentries Mallow, Gorse, and Thistle on the Wide Patrol," he stated as he slowly circled the larger buck. "Do you deny it?"

"No."

The General looked at him with a blank expression. "No?"

"I don't deny it, but I didn't know those rabbits were Efrafans. They only told me to stop, but I kept running and-"

"And you didn't tell us this yesterday? Here in Efrafa, everything outside the ordinary _must_ be reported to me. So, why _didn't_ you?" The General inquired in a dangerously soft tone.

"Because I thought there was _nothing_ unusual about a hlessi running from a homba," replied Bigwig, keeping calm. "And like I said, I had no trouble with the homba, as I managed to evade it. Those bucks that died were killed for being in the way."

Vervain gave a loud chuckle. "Oh, how convenient. You know, Thlayli, for someone who is supposed to be a good storyteller as well as a good fighter… this story, by far, sounds the most unimaginative. Still, let's try _another_ story. How about the one where you were 'tricked' into an escape attempt yesterday by one of our does? Sergeant Sainfoin informed me before Frithdown how you were unwittingly helping them escape from Efrafa from a tunnel. Do you deny this?"

"No, I don't. But if I may, Captain Vervain…" Bigwig responded, "you make it sound like I _meant_ to help those does escape. As if you're questioning my integrity as Owsla."

"Not your integrity as an Owsla officer, Thlayli, but your loyalty as an _Efrafan_ officer!"

"Well, to answer, my first thought was that losing our does meant losing our diggers. A cave-in would have been costly on our digging crew, so of course I acted first. To tell you the truth, I think I may have been trying to impress Captain Campion."

"If you want to start impressing someone, you better start with _me_," grunted Woundwort.

"After all, if we had no does to dig, _we'd_ be forced to…because _bucks_ _don't_ _dig,_" Bigwig continued to defend himself, which surprisingly got a murmur of agreement from some of the Sergeants and a few of the Captains and some of the Council members. "But let me make it clear: I was not a willing part of their plan!"

"Hmmmm… perhaps your incident with the homba was mere coincidence… and just maybe you were an unknowing pawn of Hyzenthlay's latest plans… but it _cannot_ be sheer luck that this hlessi… and the farm doe who did _this_," Vervain pawed at his ruined ear as he announced, "to me… were rutting in his burrow on his first day!"

At those words, Bigwig felt a nerve being struck in his core, but even though he tried to keep a straight face during this interrogation, he let out a faint growl and his claws nearly came out. How could he not have seen Vervain witnessing his secret relationship with Lily? He glanced a secret look at Campion, who's blue eyes gawked in shock and disbelief upon realizing the truth of Thlayli's involvement with the homba.

"It seemed those two were friendlier with each other than any Efrafan officer with a doe would be. Could it be…" Vervain smirked wickedly, "that Thlayli and the farm doe _knew_ each other? Then perhaps... Thlayli is really affiliated with the outsiders, our sworn enemy?!"

As the Owsla and the Council started to begin to doubt the new officer's trustworthiness, Hannah herself was getting worried that Bigwig was being dug into a hole that even he might not be able to dig himself out of. Suddenly, a sound broke through the commotion among the officers: a slight chuckle that slowly and steadily turned into a roar of laughter, and it was coming from the new officer on trial, unnerving the prosecutor himself.

"What's this? If this is your attempt to… Listen here, you…" Vervain tried to get a word in, but the laughter was starting to grate on him before hopping towards the lion maned buck and getting into his face. "_**WHAT'S SO FUNNY?!**_"

And then, Bigwig started to settle from his laughter before looking at Vervain with a deathly calm stare. "What's funny is that I never heard a rabbit tell a story better than me… and now I have, because I'm looking at him… _right now._ You sure can spin a yarn when you're out for revenge, can't ya?"

Vervain suddenly backed up as the new officer turned the accusations onto him, before turning to the General for some assistance. "Sir, sir! The prisoner is out of order!"

But the General said nothing, releasing only a low growl as he was silently intrigued to see where Thlayli was going with this.

"You know you can't beat me in combat, so you tear me down by spreading lies and twisting truths! Well, I've only one thing to say about that: if I'm to meet the Black Rabbit today because of it… then I'll _TAKE YOU WITH ME TO MEET HIM_!" Bigwig declared in raw anger.

Even though Avens and Marjoram tried to hold off the officer, Bigwig simply pushed them off before pouncing onto the cowardly Vervain, pinning him to the ground with blood in his eyes and a snarl like a lendri's. "I've had a bellyful of you, my son! I'll do to you what I should've done the day we met!"

"Oy, Bigwig, don't do anything stupid!" Hannah whispered, frightened and praying for his well-being.

As Bigwig prepared to make the fatal blow, Campion and Sainfoin rushed over to hold the raving lion buck back.

"Don't make it worse, Thlayli!" Campion warned as he and the Sergeant dragged him off Vervain, who was practically terrified of being so near death at such a ferocious rabbit.

It was at that moment General Woundwort finally made his move, jumping off the pedestal to address the officer and the ground shook as his massive feet made contact with the earth. "_Enough_! I've seen and heard all I needed to. Campion, Sainfoin… hold him still!"

The two officers obeyed as Bigwig looked with a glare in his eyes at the General, who approached him and raised a paw like an execution with his ax. Vervain watched as he eagerly awaited the sentencing of the buck who trounced him twice, while his brother Orchis among the crowd eyed the sentence with sadistic pleasure, knowing that without Thlayli, Lily will have no buck to protect her… that is, until _he_ takes her for himself.

"I can't watch!" Refusing to watch the lion buck's death, Hannah shielded her eyes from this horrid sight.

The moment the Chief's claws raked across the rabbit in front of him, all were shocked by the decision, but none more so than Vervain and Orchis, both whom saw that the new officer had survived… with only a shallow scratch on Bigwig's right shoulder. Not hearing a cry of anguish from Bigwig, Hannah removed her paws from her eyes and instant relief swept over her, placing a paw on her chest to calm her racing pulse.

"Your probation period is over, Captain Thlayli… of the Right Shoulder Mark. There is no fear in you, even when your honor as an officer was being questioned. If your loyalty matches your courage, you'll do well in Efrafa. And… as far as your farm doe is concerned, what you do with her is none of my concern, though I believe you will give her strong kittens for Efrafa's future." Then Woundwort leaned in very close enough to warn him, "But betray me, and I promise you, Captain… that I will kill you myself… and grind your bones to dust_._"

As Bigwig nodded in agreement with those terms, the General turned around and was about to head back to his burrow until he stopped to speak to a dumbstruck Vervain. "As for you… you are relieved of your command, Vervain. Report for guard duty in the Deep Burrows at Frithdown."

It only took a moment for the realization to dawn on Vervain that this hlessi had just stripped him of any future chance of glory in the Owsla, silently glaring at him as he hopped off to his burrow in a silent fit, while the new Captain was being congratulated by a few of the Owsla and Council members, especially Campion and Sainfoin.

"Well, Thlayli… you're one of us," Campion said, sincerely. "Well done."

"I know I said it'd take you a while to earn my trust…" Sainfoin agreed, "but I'll gladly give it, knowing you put that hufsa in his proper place."

"Thank you…" Bigwig remarked before glaring at Vervain as he made his way out, "though I can't say I'm looking forward to a promotion."

"Don't mind Vervain, Thlayli. He's just upset that he lost his captaincy due to his own lies. You've earned your place with us," Groundsel asserted.

At that moment, Orchis stepped forward to the new officer. "Only because you are all soft-bottomed idiots to even believe a hlessi over a loyal officer of Efrafa." He turned to Bigwig with a deep glare. "You may be one of us now, but you've a yona's mile to go before you can earn _my_ trust. However, I know just the way you can start. For now, enjoy the rest of your day, _Captain_ Thlayli," Orchis told him, adding venom into the title before hopping off, leaving Bigwig somewhat disturbed, drowning out the platitudes from the other Captains and Sergeants and Council members, along with the concealed Hannah who was unsure whether to feel relieved that Bigwig was no longer in danger of being caught or worried that he may have just gotten himself further into trouble.

No time to show whether feelings of concern or relief were true for her, as Hannah knew she had to find Hyzenthlay. She was running out of time. The doe's execution will start who knows when, but Lily's plan had to be carried out in action. Scurrying in and out of small secret passageways, the mouse found a lonely battered doe confined in a prison where only one guard, Bartsia, stood at bay. Careful not to make any sound, Hannah threw a tiny pebble at the dozing doe's forehead, awakening her with a start.

Hyzenthlay was amazed to see a mouse gesturing her to be silent and to come closer, never having seen any other creature of different species in this Frith-forsaken place. "Who are you?" she asked in a whisper.

"My name is Hannah, and I've come with a message from Lily," Hannah replied, creeping beneath the rocks to get closer so to whisper in the doe's ear. "I just discovered that one of your does is a spy, her name is Nettle-"

"Yes, I know." Hyzenthlay's eyes shut, dismayed. "I overheard her talking to the guards about our plans. I can't believe she... I trusted that doe..." her voice quivered, with a broken heart.

"It's alright, lass." Hannah tenderly pat her cheek for reassurance. "Lily's got a plan to get you out. Now, here is what you will do..." As the mouse began to explain the escape plan in the rabbit's ear, Hyzenthlay's eyes widened. If she could use this against Nettle and the Efrafans, this just might work.


	18. Escape from Efrafa

At sundown, the Efrafans forcibly led Hyzenthlay underneath a pylon for her execution, where the pylon itself made strange electric sounds. Bigwig had to come along as Orchis had a plan to make sure the new captain was either loyal to Efrafa or be killed out of his spite for him. Arriving at the center of the pylon, Bigwig noticed two graves nearby embedded in small clutches of flowers; gleaming golden primroses and beautiful white snowdrops. He would have asked whom were buried here, but Sainfoin seemed to notice what he was thinking.

"If a traitor dies, we bury their bodies here as a reminder to all betray Efrafa," he explained. "The does buried here are Primrose and Snowdrop, the only female member of the Council. At least… she _was_ until she betrayed Efrafa by forming an alliance with Hyzenthlay and Primrose to plot an escape. I don't know why these flowers kept growing here, we tried tearing them apart but they kept on growing."

Silently, Bigwig gravely nodded, then glared at Sainfoin as he forcibly shoved Hyzenthlay to the ground, right at the feet of a smirking Orchis.

To add a touch of cruelty to the hopeless situation, Orchis made the demand of his plan, "Thlayli, you want to earn my trust... _you_ will be the one who ends her."

**_I hear the sweetest sound  
Blowing from the north_**

A slight gasp escaped from Bigwig's lips, but he kept his emotions under control. He approached the battered doe, unsure of what to do in this situation, as she gazed up at him sorrowfully.

**_It says, "Don't panic now"_**  
**_What's mine is yours_**

Meanwhile in the pit back in Efrafa, the imprisoned does silently listened to the mournful ballad sung by Thethuthinnang. This alerted Chervil, who came running to the entrance.

**_I hope 10,000 times_**  
**_You tell me the truth_**

"I'm ordering you to stop!" demanded Chervil, angrily.

Ignoring him, Thethuthinnang continued to sing her melody.

"Hraka!" Lily growled, glaring defiantly at the baffled Chervil for such language. The other does in the Deep Burrow turned their heads toward her, surprised by her defiance.

**_Cause now there's much to do_**  
**_I trust in you_**

"Do you have any last requests?" asked Orchis, scratching his ear with his foot.

Remembering Lily's plan, Hyzenthlay hesitated, doubtful this could work but what else can she do. "I _do_ have a request... I'd like to speak to Nettle."

**_I feel the whole Earth shake _**  
**_Brought to my knees _**  
**_Although 10,000 strong, I shall be free_**

As Thethuthinnang's voice echoed through the tunnels and burrows, it caught the attention of General Woundwort, who leapt out of his quarters and bellowed, "_GUAARRD_! Find out where that singing is coming from and put an end to it!"

Outside, Nettle had been brought in by another guard as part of Hyzenthlay's final request to speak to the doe.

"Please, would you give us some space?" Hyzenthlay asked.

Reluctantly, Orchis moved back a bit to let the does talk. However, he had no idea of what the rebel doe had in mind for Nettle's treachery.

"Go to the west side of the warren as fast as you can!" Hyzenthlay whispered to Nettle, once they were alone for a brief moment. "They're breaking free, all of them! Go!"

Taking the bait, Nettle nodded and left to relay this information to the guards, shocking them. As soon as the treacherous doe had left, Orchis added one last cruel suggestion for the execution.

"Thlayli, deal with this quickly," he ordered, "Sainfoin, if he hesitates... kill him, too."

Horrified, Bigwig stared at the sadistic buck.

The guard who brought Nettle outside whispered in Orchis' ear of the false escape attempt on the west side of the warren. Though frowning that he couldn't stay to enjoy the show, Orchis gave command to the guards and he stayed behind briefly to say coldly, "Be sure to say 'hello' to your sister for me, Hyzenthlay... and Thlayli, just in case you refuse, I'll be sure to _take care_ of sweet, sweet Lily for you." He gave off a wicked chuckle, before he scampered back to the warren.

**_I hear the sweetest sound (I shall be free)  
Blowing from the north (I shall be free)  
It's says, "Don't panic now" (I shall be free)  
What's mine is yours (I shall be free)_**

The lion buck's eyes never left Orchis when he realized what his words meant; Orchis knew he would hesitate to kill Hyzenthlay so he can claim Lily as his own mate. It angered him to imagine Lily in that bastard's grasp for all eternity. But if he let Hyzenthlay live, he might get Lily back. His emotions swirling like the storm inside his very core.

Back in Efrafa, Woundwort waited impatiently for the singing to be silenced until Orchis came rushing forward.

"Sir, sir!" he called. "There's a mass escape attempt in progress on the west side of the warren. I'm rounding up as many guards as I can!"

Woundwort fumed in silence, deciding he shall join the guards in their preparation to recapture the slaves and punish them by his own accord.

Back outside beneath the pylon, Hyzenthlay was pushed to the ground by a reluctant Bigwig. But the battered doe calmly accepted her awaiting death, gazing at the cluster of primroses before her.

"It's fine...I will see my sister very soon," she assured the lion buck, brokenly. "Lily told me to trick Nettle... so the does can escape once the guards left. Tell Holly I'll be with him... when he closes his eyes."

Bigwig's eyebrows furrowed, conflicted over what he should do. He grew surprised by Lily's plan to escape. It never occurred to him that Nettle was the spy all along, who betrayed their earlier escape attempt to the enemy. He also remembered Holly's plea to save Hyzenthlay, he loved her, just as much as Bigwig loved Lily with all his heart. If Lily escaped, the Efrafans would catch her and kill her. If Hyzenthlay died, Holly will be heartbroken and he might never forgive him for what he had done. Sainfoin and another guard stood by, watching and waiting for the execution to happen or else attack the new captain.

Bigwig's ears pricked up at an enchanting voice singing in the wind, as if the voice was trying to encourage him to make the right choice as multiple female voices joined in, harmonizing beautifully with the leader, urging him to embrace and accept who he is; Bigwig, a Captain of Owsla of Watership Down, a born fighter, not a cunning trickster, his friends are Hazel and Fiver, he treats Pipkin like his own son, he survived the snare in Cowslip's warren, he is not a murderer like the Efrafans, he fell in love with Lily who accepted him for who he is, and the does need a miracle to be free rabbits forever.

**_I hope 10,000 times (I shall be free)  
You tell me the truth (I shall be free)  
'Cause now there's much to do (I shall be free)  
I trust in you (I trust in you)  
I shall be free (I shall be free)  
I shall be free (I shall be free)_**

As Thethuthinnang finished the end of her song, the does began to chant in a powerful yet emotional choir, "We shall be free... we shall be free... we shall be free!" This overpowered the helpless Chervil's attempts to silence them as he found himself cornered by the slaves.

"I'm ordering you, stop right now!" he commanded, but no doe budged nor flinched as they continued their chat. "I'm ordering you!"

"WE SHALL BE FREE!" the does chanted at last.

"We shall be free," proclaimed Clover.

"And you can tell Woundwort that he can _piss off_!" added Lily, starting a brawl between her and the stupefied Chervil for using bad words.

* * *

As a storm brewed closer to the pylon where the rabbits remained, Bigwig had withdrawn from Hyzenthlay and kindly helped her back on her feet, much to the surprise of the guards. Finally embracing and accepting himself for who he is, he refused to execute Hyzenthlay.

"You know, Hyzenthlay," the lion buck told her, "some rabbits are subtle and cunning... some are good at tricks... but I'm not one of them. Look at my face, look at how rough and worn it is! Look at my scars. I'm not a saboteur or a storyteller - I'm Bigwig! I'm a fighter! And by Frith, I'll be damned if I leave this world doing anything else!"

Feud up with this nonsense, Sainfoin decided to keep true to Orchis' order to kill Thlayli for refusing to obey orders, he came rushing over to shove Hyzenthlay aside, chiding, "I don't know what you think you're doing, Thlayli, but it ends now!" And then, he cuffed him right in the face, the impact knocked the lion buck to the ground.

However, it proved to be a big mistake as Bigwig's eyes shot open, blazing with fury. As he stood back up, he growled, "In the last two days, I have had it with your guff, you and this Owsla's, OVER AND OVER AGAIN!" At those words, Bigwig repeated that same cuff right back at Sainfoin, then kicked him with his back legs, sending Sainfoin flying back at the foot of the pylon, startling the other guard. Rushing forward, Bigwig began beating the shit out of Sainfoin multiple times, yelling, "AND IT'S BEEN INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING, **_ESPECIALLY AROUND THE DOES_**!" Catching hold of Sainfoin's neck, Bigwig threw him to the side as he laughed triumphantly, "Oh, how I've longed for this!"

The guard stared at the fallen Sainfoin in disbelief at the lion maned buck's strength and physical combat. Just as Sainfoin got up, both he and the guard gawked at Bigwig, who stood his ground and snarled, ready for another round. They made a wise choice to flee like cowards.

Bigwig chortled at their decision, whilst Hyzenthlay approached him. "Do you have any fight left in you?" he asked, and his answer was met by a smile from her.

* * *

Returning to the burrows of Efrafa, Bigwig and Hyzenthlay rushed through the tunnels, having no problems of being caught by any present guards.

"The tunnels are empty," said Hyzenthlay. "They've taken the bait!"

"Quickly, before they realize what is happening" Bigwig shouted, leading the way as he knew whom to go rescue first as he came closer to a familiar prison where it held a familiar torn black rabbit prisoner.

"Stop, stop!" ordered Marjoram, as he and Moneywort blocked their path. "What are you doing down here?"

"So, here's the deal," Bigwig threatened, smirking. "I'll only kill whichever one of you I catch first!"

Marjoram and Moneywort exchanged frightened looks, until they ran off in the same direction as they gave off a yelp, and leaving the prison cell unguarded. Bigwig and Hyzenthlay pushed the bolder to the side, where they found a puzzled Blackavar tiredly standing up. He was shocked and confused by this sudden visit from the new officer.

"You must be the one they call Thlayli," the torn rabbit said.

Gently approaching the dark-furred buck, Bigwig explained, "You can call me Bigwig. I've got one question for you; can you fight?"

This question surprised Blackavar, not entirely expecting this to happen, but when he caught a glimpse of Hyzenthlay urging him to come out, he realized at once the lion buck was a friend so he answered boldly with newfound determination and hope, "I got claws and teeth, haven't I?"

"I like you already." Bigwig smiled.

After freeing Blackavar from his cell, the trio of rabbits rushed for the pit where Chervil had called for backup from Thunder and Avens to punish the does for rebelling against him.

"Now, we're going to see to it personally that every single one of you is punished!" Chervil announced, until a sudden movement from behind him prevented the guards from carrying out the punishment.

Clover, Lily and the does gasped when they saw Chervil forcibly yanked back into the shadows, then Avens and later Thunder. Grunts and cries of anguish erupted from the top entrance, making the does wonder what on earth is going on. The shadows' movements were completely hard to tell what is happening, but the next second later, the dead body of Chervil lay exposed to their sight. The squeals of Thunder and Avens told that both officers had fled the coup once they realized they were outnumbered by three intruders, with only a few battered scars and bruises left for them to tell the tale.

At the top of the entrance, there stood Bigwig as he inquired amusingly, "You fancy coming out for a stroll?"

Lily and Clover were so thrilled to see Bigwig had arrived on time to save their lives, even the does cheered the second they noticed Hyzenthlay, alive and well, standing beside Bigwig and Blackavar. Hannah pumped a victory paw in the air, pleased that their plan was working. She climbed up on Lily's back for a ride to get out. One by one, the does were escorted out of the pit and hurried through the tunnels to reach the exit, with Bigwig and Lily guiding their way out.

But at the same time, Vervain hopped along through the same tunnel that led to the guards' quarters, still fuming over his newfound punishment. "I know you're hiding something, Thlayli," he muttered, "It's only a matter of time before you slip up. And when you do, I'll-" He hadn't been paying attention to where he was going and fell down a different tunnel, landing face-to-face with a surprised Bigwig and Lily. Vervain stared at them in confusion before he spotted the large number of does behind them, it dawned on him what their intentions were.

"Escape! Call out the Owsla! ESCAPE!" Vervain bellowed, but he was kicked in the stomach by Bigwig. Growling, he was about to charge at the runaway rabbit couple, when a stampede of does trampled him. Blackavar took the pleasure of giving the ugly rabbit a massive kick in the face before he ran off.

"Don't stop for anything!" hollered Bigwig.

The does obeyed his command, not needing to be told twice as they trailed after him as they shot out of the tunnel and reached the exit, emerging from the chimney stack and over the broken tracks to reach the field. A thunderstorm had broken out in the sky and rain began pouring down on the escapees. Their fur soaked to the brim, but neither of them cared. This was their chance of escape, there was no turning back now.

But then, Hyzenthlay paused when a familiar voice called out her name. Turning around, there stood a remorseful Nettle. At the same time, Nelthilta halted when she heard her sister's voice.

"Hyzenthlay!" The doe apologized, tearfully. "They said they'd hurt the does if I didn't. I never gave them any names. I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Nelthilta. I didn't want you to get hurt."

Without saying a word, Hyzenthlay coldly frowned upon her with disappointment and betrayal. She trusted that doe all those seasons and this is how she repaid her; by betraying Primrose's escape and responsible for her execution. Just like that, Hyzenthlay left her behind as she joins the other escaping rabbits. Nelthilta wanted to speak, but no words were needed as she glared in disgust at her former sister before she left.

"I'm sorry," cried Nettle, but no one looked back nor showed compassion toward her as she was left alone.

* * *

The Efrafan soldiers, led and commanded by Woundwort, charged out into the fields as they made their way to the western side of the warren. No one was bothered by the rain or the storm, their main priority was to recapture the escaped does. Once they arrived, there was no sign of the does. As they waited, it took less than a moment for the General to realize it had been a ploy to mislead them.

"Everyone back to your Marks, now!" Woundwort ordered. "We've been tricked."

"But… But Nettle told us-" Orchis protested, certain of what he had been told.

"GENERAL!" The voice of Avens caught the soldiers' attention as he arrived on the scene, panting heavily. "Sir, the new officer! He's gone!"

"What, Thlayli?" Woundwort questioned, raising his eyebrow.

"Yes, sir! He's killed Chervil, injured Thunder, and taken a crowd of does with him, along with Blackavar!"

Campion gaped at Avens, unsure of this was true or not. Orchis scowled, quietly wishing he had been at the pylon to kill Thlayli himself. General Woundwort's red eye blazed in a furious rage. He should have realized that Vervain's suspicions was correct all along. Thlayli must have planned this whole ordeal to aid the slaves' escape. He swiped his paw in the air, claws extended.

"Embleer Frith…" he murmured in pure shock, before bellowing out, "I'll blind him… _I'LL __**BLIND**__ HIM_!"

* * *

As the storm brewed harder, Hazel and his friends waited patiently and worriedly for Bigwig, Lily and the others. Neither of them knew whether they might have been captured or killed. There wasn't a word from Hannah ever since Hazel had sent her to sneak inside Efrafa to find out what happened. The lightning flash revealed the shadow of a buck, frightening Hazel's group. They didn't know who it was lurking under the bridge. When another flash of lightning came, a shadowy figure emerged from the bridge. The rabbits froze, waiting to see if he was friend or foe. Another lightning flash revealed Bigwig, much to their surprise and relief.

"Bigwig!" Fiver shouted, pleased. "Hazel, it's Bigwig, and he's with the others!"

Lily and Clover came not long after, joined by the refugee does and Blackavar.

"Hazel!" Clover rejoiced, rushing forward to share a loving reunion with her mate as Hazel affectionately embraced her.

"Oh, Clover! Is it really you?" he asked.

"I'm not going to let you out of my sight from now on."

Silver gave the lion maned buck a friendly pat on the back, praising, "You did it, Bigwig!"

Bigwig shook his head. "No, _we_ did it." He smiled affectionately at Lily, who was busy embracing Fiver, Blackberry, Hawkbit, Dandelion, Bluebell, Silver, and finally Hazel, as she was so glad to see her friends. If not for her plan, they would never have made it out in one piece.

The reunion will have to wait as the rabbits knew they had to get out of there, and quickly. Bigwig led Hazel and the others to find the does huddling together under the bridge, curiously staring at these newcomers.

"These Efrafans are fast, big, and know how to cover ground," Bigwig informed his leader. "If they catch up with us-"

Suddenly, Bigwig screeched to a halt. Hazel didn't understand why, until he saw the reason why his friend had stopped. Everyone gasped, finding a huge army of angry Efrafan soldiers standing in front of them. Another group of soldiers blocked their exit from behind. They were surrounded on all sides by the Efrafans.

"There they are!" shouted Vervain, at the front of the Owsla with Campion at his side. "I was right! Thlayli is a traitor, and that farm doe is working with him!"

"I know..." Campion admitted, though he would have liked Thlayli if he hadn't been a spy, he grew angry at being tricked. "You were right."

The crowd of soldiers began to part sides, allowing General Woundwort to come out of the aisle and in the presence of the refugees and outsiders. The prisoners gasped and whimpered in fear, believing all hope is lost and their time has come to an end.

"I _trusted_ you, Thlayli." Woundwort eerily approached Bigwig as he looks down upon him, being noticeably larger than the lion buck, "but you… you betrayed me and humiliated my Owsla! I'm going to keep my promise and take _great_ pleasure in killing you."

"Leave him alone!" Lily shouted, bravely placing herself between the giant buck and her beloved mate, confessing, "I'm the one who organized the escape and falsely informed your spy of the breakout. If you want to fight someone, fight me."

"Lily, no!" warned Bigwig, a bit of a plea in his voice.

General Woundwort chuckled, humorously cruel, "Now, why would a hutch rabbit like yourself put up a fight? You know you will only lose." Then he noticed that look in Bigwig's eyes, a familiar look he had seen before when Hyzenthlay expressed her love and concern for the unfortunate Primrose, but this love was entirely different. It was the love between a buck and a doe. This seemed to make it all the more interesting for Woundwort to make these traitors suffer. "Ahh, so _that's_ how it is? Love... a dreadful bond. And yet... so _easily_ severed."

"You crack-brained slave driver!" Bigwig snarled, ready for a fight even if it killed him. "Frith sees you, Woundwort! You're not fit to be called a rabbit! May Frith blast you and your foul Owsla full of hufsas to hell!"

At those words, a dazzling claw of lightning streaked down across the sky and a white figure soared over their heads. General Woundwort reared up on his hind legs and roared as he attempted to deliver a killing blow on Bigwig, whom Lily tried to shield but the lion buck shielded her instead, both ready to accept their deaths.

All of a sudden, the white figure swooped down from the sky as a familiar bird's cry knocked Woundwort to the ground with incredible force. Everyone froze, wondering who or what creature as it happened so sudden and quick. The Efrafans muttered what had just happened, when the white figure had returned for another round. It was Kehaar, though badly maimed and injured, he was still a flier as he let out a heroic squawk coming to the escapees' rescue. With a battle cry, Kehaar made another mad dive toward a stupefied Woundwort, striking him across the face and sent him tumbling backwards.

"The scoundrel came back!" relieved Bigwig.

"Kehaar!" Hazel cheered, joyfully.

"Good old Kehaar!" Hannah proclaimed.

Kehaar circled around back and attacked the Efrafans in a striking fashion, diving down and picking them off one by one. He picked them off with his small talons, as the Efrafans cried out or started to scatter for cover. He struck at Sainfoin, then he caught a screaming Orchis by the hide, and then knocked down Vervain when he tried to retreat. The gull came at Ragwort and Groundsel like a raging bird of prey as the large rabbits dove for cover.

In the chaos, Hazel knew this was their chance to make a run for it to the river where Blackberry waited. "Quick, everyone! Follow me!" he commanded.

The refugees tried to run, but their path was blocked by Campion, who happened to be the only buck not afraid of Kehaar. Luckily, Kehaar swooped down and struck at Campion by the face, sending him flying and colliding into Bartsia.

The Watership rabbits immediately led the ailing prisoners away from the panicking Efrafans and from the bridge, although Thethuthinnang was pounced on by Marjoram. Dandelion hurried back to tackle him. Once he was out, Dandelion helped Thethuthinnang to rejoin the others.

"To the river, everyone!" Hazel shouted. "Kehaar won't hold them off for long!"

The large group of escapees tore across the field, following the path that lead through a wood and to the broken bridge where Blackberry and their boat waited. Lily could slightly make Woundwort's shouts of rage as he ordered his Owsla to pursue the fugitives. The Watership rabbits and the prisoners ran faster than they had ever run before, knowing fully well that the enemy were in hot pursuit.

When the group made it out of the wood, the broken bridge came in sight and two Efrafan soldiers standing on the bridge tried to stop them, until Kehaar dove in for an attack, driving them off and terrifying the soldiers. This gave the Watership rabbits and the Efrafan prisoners enough time to make it to the slope and to the river where Blackberry instantly began biting at the rope that secured the boat to the shore, allowing everyone to board the boat and thankfully there was plenty of room for everybody who wanted to get out of Efrafa.

Just then, Woundwort and his Owsla arrived at the broken bridge. Seeing no chance of escape was made and believing the fugitives only came to the bridge for cover, the General sneered triumphantly, "We've got them trapped. Bring them to me!"

"Any time, Blackberry!" Hazel urged, whilst the doe continued biting her way through the rope.

Thinking of delaying the Efrafans from charging, Hazel and Bigwig decided to confront the enemy from under the bridge. Lily joined them, not wishing to allow them to face this alone, despite their protests. The Efrafans slowly approached the trio, ready to attack at any second now.

"I'm sorry it has to end this way," Campion said to the lion maned buck regretfully, he did form a liking for him but he was an Owsla captain loyal to his Chief no matter what.

"I was just thinking the same," Bigwig admitted, as he also formed a begrudging respect for Campion, but he understood that he was the enemy and there was no chance of taking him back to the high hills.

Orchis, Sainfoin and Vervain gawked at Campion for his choice of words for a brief second, until Vervain interrupted, "Kill them!"

"That bird can't save you now!" Woundwort chuckled, positioning himself for a pounce on the outsiders.

"But I can, General!" A familiar voice rung out in a battle cry as she flew herself at Woundwort's back, biting and slashing at his fur. The General howled in pain as he struggled to grab at whoever attacked him. His Owsla tried to help by prying off the doe who flew at him. It was Nettle, courageously trying to fight off the Owsla with all of her strength.

"Nettle, what are you doing?!" Hyzenthlay gasped, as she and other does watched speechless over their former friend's selfless act.

Before anyone could help her, Woundwort delivered a powerful blow to Nettle's head and then sunk his teeth into her neck. Nettle screamed in anguish as blood squirted out of her throat, and then her squealing was silenced forever when the General flung her body toward a tree, the impact broke her neck and she succumbed to her wounds. Hazel, Bigwig and Lily reacted, horrified. Even Campion was aghast at the General's bloody act of murder.

"NETTLE!" Nelthilta screamed, wanting to jump out and see if her sister is still alive, but she was held back by Hannah on her back.

"There's nothing you can do!" Hannah told her, sadly.

Finally, Blackberry bit through the last of the rope and the boat started to drift away from the shore. "Guys, come on!" she called.

The three rabbits raced along the shore, avoided being captured by the Owsla. Leaping gracefully through the air to land safely in the boat. Just before anyone can breathe a sigh of relief, they heard the roar of Woundwort, who had raced out on the broken bridge and leapt after them, thunder and lightning crashed in the process of his actions like he was a demon rabbit sent from hell to kill the fugitives. He landed in the water with a huge splash. Although, he managed to swim back to the surface and grabbed the edge of the boat, forcing the nose to tip dangerously and causing Bigwig to slide towards him. The snarling Woundwort tried to climb him, but he came face-to-face with big rabbit feet.

"We're all full up, Woundwort!" yelled Bigwig. "Get your own boat!" And with that, he gave a mighty kick in the General's face, the blow sending the giant rabbit falling backwards into the water.

Enraged, Woundwort coughed and splashed as he struggled to swim his way back to shore. His Owsla tried to help him up, but he harshly rejected their assistance. Throwing his head back, General Woundwort screamed and swore revenge at the disappearing boat filled with fugitives.

"I'll find you, outsiders!" he bellowed. "The world isn't a big enough place to hide! I'll hunt you till Frith falls from the sky, outsiders! Do you hear me?! DO YOU HEAR ME?! _I WILL FIND YOUR WARREN AND DESTROY IT, AND __**LEAVE NO TRACE OF IT ON THIS EARTH**_!"

Listening to the General's promise, the rabbits quivered nervously, but none of that matter right now as they were finally free from the cruelty of Efrafa and General Woundwort… at least for now.

"Well, that came off rather well," Bigwig panted, taking some deep breaths.

"Like falling down a hole," added Hawkbit.

Giving a sigh of relief, Vilthuril turned to her secret love, Fiver, speaking softly, "I knew you'd come to get us out. But we were afraid to believe in it."

"You don't have to be afraid anymore," Fiver assured her, placing his paw on hers. "You're free... everyone is free."

Although it came with a price when Nettle sacrificed herself to allow them to escape, an act that truly redeemed herself. Nelthilta sat at the bottom of the boat, grieving in silence. To show their respect and honor the death of a fallen rabbit, everyone quoted their prayer.

"My heart has joined the Thousand, for my friend stopped running today," they muttered in a chorus.

As Lily watched the last of the broken bridge disappear and thinking of poor Nettle and the General's vow, she felt a paw touch her own. Looking up, she found Bigwig giving her a tender smile.

"How are you feeling?" he inquired, worried.

"I'm fine... just shaken up by Nettle's death..." Lily admitted, her ears drooping. "I hope that never happens to us, if Woundwort ever found us."

"He will never find our home." Bigwig pressed his nose against hers to rub it affectionately, then whispered soothingly, "What's more important is that we're together again."

"Yes... together forever..." Lily agreed, before giving him a quick peck on his lips and then nuzzled against his maned neck.

A solemn Kehaar flew on up ahead, guiding the rabbits' boat to sail further on down the river toward a human town where no enemies will follow them, and for the group to debate on how to get home. His injuries often made them stop to rest on the boat. Whatever happened to him and why he never showed up yesterday, they will find out as soon as they deck for land at the human village.


	19. Welcome Home

To think that moments ago, the shadow of Efrafa had been over their heads… but now, all the does and Blackavar could feel over their heads was a bright sky brimming with hope. The hope of peace… of freedom… of life. But their awe was interrupted when a certain Captain of Owsla finally brought up the gall to address a certain gull.

"You've got a _lot_ of explaining to do," grunted Bigwig. "You were _supposed_ to attack and drive off the Efrafans yesterday, but you let us down and it almost got us killed by the Efrafans!"

"Bigwig, that's enough..." Lily tried to calm him down.

"We believed you abandoned us!" Hawkbit added, looking equally upset as much as Bigwig is. "We thought you had gone back to that Big Water of yours."

"I SAID _THAT'S __**ENOUGH**_!" Lily snapped irately before taking a moment to breathe. "Now that Kehaar is back, I think we should allow _him_ to explain himself."

"Yah, but it's not a happy story," said Kehaar, flinching at the pain of his injuries reopened. "The day I lead you to bridge where river is hiding, I decide to look for spots where you can escape and I guide you to the safe spots while I frighten those stupid Efrafans away. And then..." he hesitated, "they come out and attack me!"

"The Efrafans?" Hazel guessed.

"Nah, not Efrafa rabbits... they were _bloodthirsty ravens_!"

"Ravens? Bah!" Bigwig scoffed in disbelief. "You sure that's not just an excuse to cover up your incompetence?!"

"Oh, why don't you stuff a carrot in your ass, _Bighead_!" snarled Nelthilta, jumping in on the conversation and still fuming over the loss of her sister, then added an insult of her own to make the lion buck retreat backwards, "or should I call you _BIGDICK!_"

All of the other rabbits stared at the doe, puzzled.

"Did you all know that Bigwig's been mating with Lily back in Efrafa?" Nelthilta smirked like a Cheshire cat.

Everyone gasped, sharply. Their eyes landed upon a mortified Bigwig, embarrassed at his secret love affair exposed. Lily shielded her blushing face, ashamed. The Watership rabbits exchanged baffled expressions, whilst some of them snickered quietly. Hyzenthlay was at least pleased to see Nelthilta still had a sense of humor left in her after the tragic death of her sister.

"Well, I didn't think you had it in you, _Bigdick,_" Hawkbit teased, chortling.

"Just shut it!" shouted Bigwig, his cheeks had a deep shade of red, and decided to allow the gull to explain himself so to avoid being made fun of. "Please, continue."

Ceasing his giggles, Kehaar continued to explain his side of the story, "Anyway, these ravens fly at me from the clouds and carry me off to an abandoned chapel, where they warn me not to aid rabbits against the Dark One. I ask them what they are talking about, so the biggest raven of the group – Corvus, he is called and I think is the leader - say his flock serve the Dark Queen of Darkhaven and I am to stop fighting the Dark One or else myself and all of you will die by the her orders."

"Darkhaven?!" Fiver gasped, his eyes widening. "I saw it before, in my head!" He turned to Lily and Bluebell. "You remember back when we had been captured? My vision took me back to Woundwort's past and Darkhaven is a part of it."

"Yes, we do," Bluebell replied, and Lily nodded in response. "This Darkhaven must be another warren, but probably just as bad as Efrafa, if not worse if that's even _possible._"

"But why would a flock of ravens work for rabbits in this Darkhaven?" Lily wondered.

"I don't know, but I believe these ravens and this Dark Queen must have formed an alliance somehow." Hazel shrugged his shoulders, not entirely certain. "Now, how did you escape, Kehaar?"

"Well, after I refuse to do what those shit-faced ravens order me to do..." Kehaar extended his injured wings out to show his wounds, red claw marks engraved on his body and white feathers had been torn off forcibly and a wound caked in old blood beneath his chest, the rabbits were so shocked by these injuries that they felt extreme guilt for doubting the gull's loyalty. "Those black birds try to tear me to pieces, but then I give Corvus something to remember me by. Hurt him plenty good I did, and I escape. I find shelter in an abandoned owl's nest in a tree to hide from those dirty birds. But I was pouring with blood; it hurt a lot whenever I try to fly. After a moment to rest, I leave the nest when it starts to rain, I try to find you and there you are under a bridge surrounded by stupid Efrafans."

"Well, thanks for rescuing us," Hazel praised, sincerely. "Without you, we would've stopped running back there. And I'm sorry to hear what you have been through."

"As soon as we return to the down," assured Blackberry, "I'll find you some herbs that will take care of those wounds, but for now, let me take a look at you." The black-headed doe carefully examined the gull's injuries and scars, making sure the injuries weren't fatal.

"I just hope to live long enough to see little Hazels happen pretty soon, eh?" Kehaar added jokingly with a wink, gesturing toward Clover standing beside Hazel, as both rabbits exchanged loving smiles at each other.

"I just hope you won't try to abandon us again," said Bigwig, apologetically.

"One of these days, you're going to have to find a way to exist without me for a while - Plump Rabbit!" teased Kehaar, playfully.

"For the last time, my name is Bigwig!" The lion manned buck insisted angrily, attempting to make a charge the seagull.

"I know it's Bigwig." Kehaar jumped back as he flapped his wings, avoiding the lion buck's charge. "But what's life if you can't tease your pal a little, eh?"

Some of the Watership rabbits chuckled at the gull's nickname for Bigwig. Though most of the does grew discouraged when hearing about this mysterious Darkhaven as well as the strain of last night's terrifying escape. They began to chatter or mutter amongst themselves, wondering where they are going and what they should do next.

"The does have seen it, our bird who saved us is injured," said Fiver, "they're exhausted and scared."

"But they have to move on," responded Hazel, "they'll die if they stay here." He looked at the Efrafan does, Blackavar included, unsure of how to approach them.

"Speak from your heart, Hazel-rah," advised Clover, gently.

"You can do it, Hazel-rah," encouraged Lily, wisely. "We believe in you. You brought us all together as a family. I knew you were a fearless, open-minded and kind-hearted leader the time we left Sandleford and risked many perils to find a home at Watership Down. You swore an oath to infiltrate Efrafa and liberate the does to freedom. And you have succeeded in saving these rabbits who suffered under Woundwort's tyranny. You're our leader, Hazel-rah, so just do what Clover says. We'll all stand with you, whatever you say."

Listening to her words, Hazel felt the role of leader embrace him as he confidently stepped forward to present himself to the former prisoners of Efrafa. He cleared his throat loudly to get their attention. "My name is Hazel, and I am Chief Rabbit of your new home. I know that it will take time for me to earn your trust...and hopefully your friendship."

Bigwig smiled proudly in Lily's direction for speaking such wisdom toward his friend, he couldn't have asked for a better mate. Lily knew what he was thinking as she moved closer beside him, tenderly holding his paw.

"But it is a privilege for me to do so, and to serve each and every one of you, both old and new..." Hazel delivered his impassioned speech to the rabbits, relieving them of their stress, "you have fought so hard to earn your freedom. But now, you must fight to keep it. Because the battle of liberty is one which has no end, and if we fall fighting, if we stop running... then at least we know what it was like to _run_. I stand here not asking you to follow me, but to follow _each other_. Let's help raise each other to our strongest selves... Let's go home."

For two days, the rabbits' journey to return home had been long and tireless, but they didn't stop to rest. The only exception of tragedy that occurred was the loss of a doe named Thrayonlosa, the wound she received whilst escaping an Efrafan soldier to get on the boat had slowed her down and it made her the unfortunate victim of a fox attack. The rabbits stayed together in a large group, traveling through a wood, a dirt path beneath a tall tree, and passing through a field of tall weeds. When the sun had vanished and the moon came out, the rabbits didn't stop to rest. They continued onward, lolloping as if the moon or a slightly healed Kehaar, with Hannah riding on his back, guided their way through the darkness. The sun had barely come up as the rabbits climbed over a high hill that revealed train tracks, where they carefully crossed them and slid downhill, just a few minutes before a train thundered behind them. Nuthanger farm was close, but the sight of Watership Down standing majestically before them was a welcoming sight for the rabbits.

At that time on the high hills, Pipkin had been nibbling on some daisies when he noticed Holly sitting silently by the stream. Ever since Hazel's band had left the down, he hadn't silflayed in two days, still going through guilt of leaving Hyzenthlay behind at Efrafa and his traumatic experience at Sandleford. The young kitten knew he was thinking about Hazel, Hyzenthlay and the others, so he decided to cheer him up with a little pep talk.

"Cheer up, Captain Holly," comforted Pipkin. "I'm sure Hazel, Bigwig and the others will be back soon."

But Holly was less than convinced. "Hazel should have let me go with him," he said. "I was the one who tried to stop you from leaving Sandleford. If I had succeeded-"

"You owe us nothing, Captain Holly. You were only following orders." Pipkin pushed the daisies at his feet to share his snack. "Cheer up, not a single rabbit here holds that against you."

"But Kehaar failed to report their plans in the past three days," Holly worried. "If Woundwort found out what they are up to-"

"I'm sure Kehaar has an explanation, and I don't think Woundwort knows about them," Pipkin refused to believe the worst. "Now, come on. Eat something, you're growing thinner and worse by the minute."

All of a sudden, a familiar squawk alerted the two rabbits as they glanced up at the sky. Kehaar descended near toward the rabbits, squawking painfully.

"INCOMING, WOUNDED GULL!" warned Hannah from the gull's back, struggling to steer the bird from crashing into Holly and Pipkin as they scattered out of the way to allow the gull to crash land on the grass and skidded to a halt.

"Kehaar, you're back!" Pipkin cheered, glad to see the bird again as he rushed over to greet him.

The seagull grunted and moaned in pain, staggering up on his webbed feet. "The rabbits… are coming… home," he reported weakly before collapsing from sheer exhaustion.

No sooner had he spoken those words that a big surprise came over the hill: a huge band of rabbits climbed the tallest hill to reach their home. Holly stared, not sure if he was seeing things at first, but his heart leapt with joy when he realized this was the real thing. Pipkin cheered with delight, alerting everyone else inside the warren of their friends' homecoming.

"Hey, everybody! Hazel's back!" he shouted. "And he's got the does!"

Strawberry popped her head out of the tall grass. "By Frith! They made it!" As she raced out to welcome them, the rest of the inhabitants joined in; Buckthorn, Speedwell, Acorn, Haystack and Boxwood.

Everyone hurried over to warmly greet or embrace one another, as the does and Blackavar were given a friendly welcome by the Watership inhabitants. Strawberry nuzzled Lily and Bigwig happily, whilst Pipkin gave them each a big hug, stating he knew they would come back.

As Holly scouted the crowd to search for someone he longed to see, she found him on her own. "Hyzenthlay, thank you for saving me. I owe you my life."

"Your warren has given me back my life, and if the roles were reversed, you'd have done the same thing," she spoke, softly.

"A thousand times," replied Holly, just as the two rabbits shared a heartwarming nuzzle and embrace.

Everybody gathered around Hazel as he prepared to introduce the newcomers to their new home on Watership Down. "Welcome to you all," he announced. "Welcome home."

Inside the warren in the Honeycomb, the rabbits grew astonished by a special feast prepared for them by Buckthorn and the others, having stolen numerous vegetables from the garden at Nuthanger farm in the past two days, to celebrate the heroes' arrival and their victory; carrots, lettuce, radishes, turnips, corn, spinach, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries. A slice of cheese had been taken to give to Hannah, and some worms for Kehaar to eat, right after Blackberry used her healing skills to clean and patch up his wounds. There was plenty enough food to go around for everyone. Hazel's band ate like normal, but Blackavar and the does devoured their flay-rah like they hadn't eaten it in years. Throughout the morning, the rabbits spent their day feasting and playing and telling the story of Hazel's band and their journey to the down, and the does were given a tour of the warren by Acorn and Speedwell, trying to show off and impress the does with their superior knowledge. Most of the rabbits settled in nicely in their new home, silflaying in the grass, chatting with one another, playing tail-tag with others, or exploring their surroundings.

Strawberry and Pipkin were engaged in good conversation with Lily and Bigwig, all sharing a laugh from a hilarious story Bigwig told them from his childhood, surprising Lily that her mate withheld a sense of humor she never knew of. Blackavar, Haystack, Rithla, and Buckthorn gazed at the setting sun over the horizon, admiring the changing colors in the sky. Fiver and Vilthuril were silflaying together, until their noses touched but neither of them pulled away as they gazed lovingly into each other's eyes. Holly had been attempting to make Hyzenthlay smile, even though she did upon their reunion, it wasn't easy after the abuse she received in Efrafa, but she secretly missed her old home she had grown up in; Redstone warren. Hazel and Clover had emerged from the warren together and nuzzling noses together, later turned into a kiss after Bigwig told him how to do it since the lion buck learned it from Lily, and Hazel knew at once he would grow to like kissing Clover in due time. Thethuthinnang was singing to some birds, harmonizing beautifully with their chirps. Silver became entranced by her melody as he came over to compliment her, which flattered her deeply.

Elsewhere, Bluebell was sharing a conversation with Nelthilta, having bonded with the blue buck over their shared jokes and silliness, whilst Blackberry simply ate some grass.

"Blackberry here doesn't like jokes," Bluebell told the amused Nelthilta. "She doesn't see the value in them."

"Now, wait just a moment!" Blackberry's head shot upward, denying, "That's not true at all!" And this earned a chortle from Bluebell and Nelthilta.

During the afternoon, Strawberry was silflaying alone until two bucks approached her; Hawkbit and Dandelion, still trying win her affection to see who she will choose as her mate.

"Hello, Strawberry," Hawkbit greeted. "Err… Dandelion and I have something to say. Well, I'm going to say it, because he speaks about once a fortnight. But the thing is, we're both rather fond of you," he chuckled, awkwardly. "And, well... we'd appreciate it if you made a decision which of us you like."

Strawberry stared at the two bucks, nervously stunned. "Oh, brambles! Right, err... I'd forgotten about that. This is..." she stuttered, unsure of what to say so not to hurt their feelings. "Can I take some time to think about this?" Truthfully, the red doe wasn't quite ready for another buck to replace her beloved Nildro-hain, his death left a strong impact on her and refused to move on too quickly.

Dandelion and Hawkbit nodded their heads, approvingly understanding to give her time to think over their proposal.

"Of course, of course... but be quick," Hawkbit said, "because there are more does around now and, well... two eligible bucks like us are bound to get snatched up fast."

Then Strawberry slowly backed off and retreated to another spot to silflay.

"Why did you say that last bit?" Dandelion demanded, upset. "You didn't say the last bit when we rehearsed it."

"I don't know! Maybe I just don't want to end up alone forever," retorted Hawkbit.

Deep within the burrows of the warren, Bigwig and Lily planned to share their own burrow together now that they are officially mates. Creating a nest of fur and twigs large enough for two, the love bunnies settled themselves in and decided to have a repeat of the moment they shared together in Efrafa. They shared another kiss, flirtatiously exchanging tongues in another battle for dominance, feeling themselves growing aroused by the second. Only this time, Lily laid on her back and urged him to mate with her this way. Instantly, Bigwig started thrusting in and out of her. He playfully nibbled at her neck, creating sounds of passionate moaning from his mate. He told her to keep the noises silent so not to alert the other rabbits and have them tease the couple in such a position. As Bigwig pushed as far as he could, he reached the climax, and so did Lily. He slowly pulled out of her and collapsed beside her, exhausted by the love making and his sleeping beauty dozed off.

Staring at her for a while, Bigwig suddenly felt unsure about something. True, he found a doe whom he loved, but as long as Efrafa is out there determined to find his warren, those monsters will destroy everything and everyone he ever knew, especially Lily. She was very special to him, compassionate and clever and headstrong, unafraid to risk her life to them. And being a Captain of Owsla, he was bound to fight enemies that will harm his mate. Even if she produced kittens, what could he do to protect them? How can she protect herself against elil? If his eyes played tricks on him, Bigwig thought he saw the face of his deceased father, a much bigger and stronger lion buck, gazing sadly at his son.

_"Be careful, my son."_

"I know, Dad, but this has never happened before," Bigwig sighed.

_"What are you going to do?"_

"I don't know... I just..."

_"Do you remember your mother? She died fearlessly in combat against a wild cat. If the same thing happened to Lily-"_

"No!" Bigwig bolted upward, angered. "I lost her once, I'm never going to lose her again!"

The vision had faded, and Bigwig had made a decision that he believed could keep his mate out of harm's way: Lily will be confined to the warren, until Efrafa was defeated for good and that she must control her headstrong nature of fighting enemies and throwing herself in danger. That sounded like a good idea to him. He would have to discuss it with Hazel tomorrow as the day had changed to night and everyone had to retire to their burrows.

This would have been a happy ending for everyone, but despite Bigwig's rash decision, this would foretell the start of a new beginning, with many more adventures to come for the rabbits of Watership Down, but a day will come when a war between Watership Down and Efrafa would bring devastation, betrayal, and tragedy for the rabbits on _both_ sides.


	20. The Vision p1

_**Author's Note: I know I've seen comments from Solange Griffin asking to correct mistakes small mistakes in my chapters. I'm not angry, I appreciate what you're doing to help but I'm just confused on where you can point out in which paragraphs I fix them. I've also noticed Solange Griffin asked if I'm going to do a deviantart to show pictures of my OCs like in this story or the ones in Hotel Transylvania. But the truth is - I cannot do a deviantart account because I can't draw or create how my OCs are supposed to look because my style of art sucks badly and I hate to see how it would turn out! My sister is the real artist, she does incredible anime drawings online, but she prefers doing art in her way rather than help me. I may be a writer, but I'm not an artist. Thanks, Solange Griffin.**_

* * *

The days had passed since the rabbits' successful escape from the iron grasp of General Woundwort and Efrafa. The does had made themselves at home on Watership Down, assisting Blackberry and Strawberry in digging new burrows for themselves and to make extra space to move around, or silflaying outside to enjoy the fresh air and relax beneath the warm sun. But for Lily, she woke up one morning by a sudden movement inside of her abdomen. Frightened, she sat up and rushed to Blackberry's burrow.

"Blackberry! I think something's wrong with me!" panicked Lily. "Something is moving inside of me! I hope I'm not ill or something!"

"Alright, calm down! Let me take a look at you." Patient as she is, Blackberry gently pressed her paw against the doe's abdomen. The something inside the stomach kicked at her paw, and a big smile lit up her face. "Oh, Lily! Don't you fret. This is normal for your condition - you're pregnant!"

"Huh?" Lily was slow to understand what her friend was talking about.

"Seems like you and Bigwig will be expecting some kits very soon!"

"You mean... I'm going to be a mother?"

Blackberry nodded, grinning. Lily's tail began to wag like an excited dog and she squealed with joy, throwing her arms around the blue doe in an embrace. Their shouts alerted the other rabbits in the warren, slightly annoyed at being awoken this early. Some of them believed the squeals meant danger approaching, such as Bigwig thought when he woke up. He realized his mate wasn't in the nest with him, thinking she had left to go silflay and got caught by elil, terrifying him.

"Oh, Frith and Inlé!" the lion maned buck gasped, but just as he prepared to go out and kill whatever elil that had taken his beloved mate, the doe herself returned to their burrow, followed by Blackberry, who spread the news to every rabbit's burrow she passed and cheers of delight sounded, confusing Bigwig, although he was quite relieved to see her back alive and safe. "Lily! Oh, thank Frith you're alright. I heard screams and you weren't in the burrow, and for a minute there, I assumed you were..."

"It's okay, you worrywart," Lily assured him, trying to hide the giggles. "I just had to go to Blackberry for a minute when I-" Her smile grew so large that her mate couldn't understand what was going on.

"Lily, is something wrong?"

"Well... remember how we always talked about starting a family of our own?"

"Yes, why?" Bigwig wasn't as quick as Lily was to figure it out.

Giggling, Lily took his right paw and gently placed it on her stomach, momentarily confusing her mate. And then, Bigwig could feel the movement. It was faint, but it was clear to him when realization dawned on him. He looked up at her, smiling ecstatically.

"I'M GOING TO BE A FATHER!" Bigwig hollered, as he couldn't be any happier to have something like this finally happen to him.

"I'M GOING TO BE A MOTHER!" Lily exclaimed, embracing and kissing her mate with exhilaration.

It wasn't long before everyone came lolloping toward their burrow, all congratulating Bigwig and Lily to be the first to produce a litter of kittens. Hazel offered them good praises and best wishes for their happiness. It was truly a wonderful morning for the happy couple to learn they were going to become parents.

But later in the day, Bigwig had decided to put his plan to action and convince Hazel to forbid Lily from leaving Watership Down without his consent, feeling more insecure about her safety, especially after what she had been through in Efrafa. After thinking it over, Hazel solemnly agreed to the lion buck's idea, even after discovering Lily's pregnancy could make her an easy target for enemy patrols to recapture her. They knew they had to speak to her about this, so they called her in to the Honeycomb to speak of the matter.

Lily came lolloping inside the warren, as happy as a spring lamb, but unaware of the unexpected. "Hello, Hazel," she greeted, then noticed her mate sitting beside him. "I see you brought Bigwig here. Does this have something to do with our litter? Do you want to discuss names or what I should eat when I'm pregnant?"

"Lily, listen to me!" Hazel interrupted, his stern voice silenced the doe's excited chattering. "We have something to tell you."

"What is it?" Now Lily was no longer excited, deducing that something is wrong.

"That day when I was shot, you snuck out without Bigwig or Holly's consent with Fiver and Clover, then you got captured by an Efrafan patrol with Clover…"

"I didn't mean to worry you, but Clover was worried about you," Lily tried to reassure him, "but as you can see, I'm okay! I'm more than okay, I helped you rescue the does and Blackavar-"

Approaching his mate, Bigwig gave her a quick nose rub before he spoke in a serious voice, "Lily, I love you with all my heart. That same day you were taken from me, a part of me felt hopeless and lost. For the last two days in Efrafa, I swore to you that if by some miracle that Frith decided to shine for me a way out of that dreadful place and bring us together, I would never let anything happen to you again. And now, you're carrying our kittens. If the Efrafans found us and you were taken from me, they would kill you and our litter. That said… I'm afraid Hazel and I have no choice, my darling."

Then Hazel spoke in a strict manner like a king giving an order, "As of today, with a heavy heart, I'm forced to exercise my martial right as Chief Rabbit to forbid you from leaving the high hills without either of our consent, even _after_ you bore his litter."

"But, Hazel-" Lily protested, incredulous to hear those words.

"No arguments!" Hazel cut her off, firmly. "Do you understand?"

Without giving an answer, Lily stared at the two bucks. Her fury boiling like a forest fire. How could they do this to her? Didn't Bigwig tell her that she will get on independently without him when he originally believed the Black Rabbit of Inlé was coming for him when in reality it was only Captain Holly locating their warren? It was her idea to trick Nettle and the Efrafans, allowing the prisoners to escape. Now, they wanted to treat her as a prisoner in her own warren. Never allowed to go out to steal flayrah from Nuthanger farm. Never allowed to explore the rest of the outside world. The doe's face tightened in anger, she wanted to make a harsh retort to display her rebellion, but no words came out of her mouth. She made a sharp turn to leave the Honeycomb, when she felt her mate's paw on her shoulder.

"Lily, didn't you hear what Hazel just said?" Bigwig demanded.

Suddenly, Lily spun around and struck him, the impact sent Bigwig to tumble back on his bottom.

"LILY!" Hazel shouted, ready to scold her for her reaction, but the doe had already raced out of the Honeycomb.

* * *

Bursting out through the burrow and ignoring the disgruntled complaints over rushing past a few rabbits without apologizing, Lily wanted to find a private place to weep or hurt something to release all her anger and rage. She came to the wedged boulder at the edge of the down and lay there, sorrowfully gazing out at the countryside.

"Everything alright?" a female's voice spoke.

Lily raised her head to find a concerned Hyzenthlay standing alongside her. "Not entirely," she mumbled.

"What happened?" Hyzenthlay got down on all fours to get closer to her eye level.

"Hazel and Bigwig have just confined me to the warren, and it's not because I'm pregnant!" Lily ranted, unleashing all her anger out. "It's because they believe I can't take care of myself! Even after I give birth, I'm forbidden to leave the high hills! It's not fair!"

"I know what you're thinking," Hyzenthlay sympathized, not the least bothered by the doe's temper. "It feels like Efrafa all over again, doesn't it? During these last few days, Holly has been making a fuss with every little thing I find or do here. I tried to make it clear to him that I can take care of myself, but he refuses to listen."

Lily stared at her for moment, then sighed, "I guess we're in the same boat then, eh?" She noticed the doe's puzzled expression so she had to explain it. "It means being in the same unpleasant situation."

"I guess you're right," Hyzenthlay agreed, before sharing another secret she had been holding on for a while, "One time, I shouted at him that if I had never come to this warren, I would've gone back to my home warren, Redstone. Truthfully, I have been thinking about it for a while. I haven't seen it since Orchis and Vervain's raiding party took me and my friends, including my sister Primrose, away from it. All those seasons in Efrafa, I held onto the dream of going home someday."

"So, you're not happy? Here on the down with us?" asked Lily.

"Oh yes, Lily, I am. You're all wonderful and this place is… It's all a rabbit could ask for, but..."

"But it's not home."

"I'd like to see Redstone again… for myself and for Primrose."

"To stay?"

Hyzenthlay shut her eyes and turned away, miserably. Despite previously distrusting the farm doe when they first met, she was beginning to open up to her after their escape.

"You know, I felt the same way when I miss my home, Ridgeway Farm," Lily confessed. "I tried to find my way back to it after fighting with Holly over humanity, but I never find my way back home after I got caught by Campion, Vervain and Orchis. But from what I learned, the farm was burned to the ground and my human family died." Then an idea came to her, something that could get her out of Watership Down and away from watchful eyes. "I'll take you home if you want me to," she offered kindly.

"Are you sure?" Hyzenthlay worried. "Didn't Hazel-rah forbid you from leaving the warren?"

Suddenly, another familiar voice caught them off guard. The voice shuddered and moaned, as if in pain. The two does whirled around, finding Fiver and Vilthuril standing behind them, the buck shaking violently.

"Vilthuril, are you and your boyfriend spying on us on Hazel and Bigwig's orders?" Lily questioned, frowning.

Before the doe could answer, Fiver's vision took control of him as he spoke in a trance, "Redstone warren is empty and dead... It only lives inside your head."

"What's wrong with him?" asked Hyzenthlay, fearfully.

"It's his vision," Lily answered. "He gets them from time to time. I believe it has something to do with Redstone, especially saying it's empty and dead."

"I'm sorry, Hyzenthlay, I don't mean to see these things," apologized Fiver.

"No, you're wrong!" the doe yelled, hurt and angry. "Redstone is still there! It is!"

"Hyzenthlay, stop!" Vilthuril tried to calm her down to no avail.

"No, I won't listen!" To add insult to the runt's vision, Hyzenthlay shouted, "You're horrible for saying things like that! Redstone is still there! It _has_ to be!"

"How dare you speak to Fiver that way!" Vilthuril was getting angrier by the second, fuming by her friend's insult toward her mate.

Before either does could start a fight, Hazel's voice sounded at the warren's entrance when he overheard the ruckus, "What's going on out there?!"

"I'll tell you what's going on..." Hyzenthlay complained, lolloping over to the warren to confront the Chief Rabbit over his younger brother's horrid visions.

Lily shook her head in slight disgust over the doe's behavior, then tried to comfort the traumatized Fiver, "It's not your fault, Fiver."

"The dream of home kept her alive in Efrafa," replied Fiver, wretchedly. "And I just stole it away."

"It's not the only thing that kept her alive," added Vilthuril, "Primrose's spirit kept us all alive."

"Maybe my vision is wrong... maybe Redstone is just fine..."

"There's only one way to find out," Lily decided.

* * *

A small meeting took place inside the Honeycomb between Hazel and Hyzenthlay, accompanied by Clover, Bigwig, Lily, Fiver, Vilthuril and Holly. After told of Fiver's vision and Hyzenthlay's outburst, Hazel made a plan to go with Hyzenthlay to find Redstone for support, although Holly volunteered to come along, only to keep the doe safe, much to her annoyance. Clover also volunteered to join them, very keen on seeing Redstone for the first time and a promise to fill Lily in on the details of their adventures when they get back. After constant arguing and bickering over wanting to go to Redstone, Lily was forbidden to never set foot off the warren by Hazel and Bigwig, still miffed at her for striking him, along with the constant reminder of her pregnancy.

Several minutes later, Hazel, Clover, Hyzenthlay and Holly were preparing to leave for their journey to Redstone warren. The rabbit in charge during Hazel's absence was none other than Bigwig.

"You'll be in charge while I'm away," Hazel instructed to the lion buck.

"You can rely on me!" assured Bigwig, confidently.

"Good." Hazel nodded, then glanced worriedly for his younger brother. "You take care of yourself, okay?" When Fiver nodded in understanding, the hazel colored rabbit then glanced in Lily's direction. "And please don't leave the warren. Try to make things work for us."

Without answering, Lily turned her nose up at him with a bitter scoff.

Sighing, Hazel said, "Right, I'm off!" And then he hopped away to join the others who waited patiently.

Kehaar makes a comment about romance, watching the two couples disappear from view.

"Let's hope they have a safe journey," commented Bigwig, slightly concerned.

"The journey's one thing. What they find at the end is another," Fiver said, sadly.

The day past gradually since Hazel and company left for their journey. Midday came soon and things ran smoothly for the rabbits on Watership Down. Bigwig dozed peacefully under the main tree surrounded by the beach trees. Dandelion and Bluebell played tail tag with Hawkbit. Dandelion was quite fast in catching them as soon as Hawkbit found out when the yellow buck caught up to him and smacked him on the tail.

"Tail tag! You're elil!" laughed Dandelion.

The force of the tail smack had sent Hawkbit flying into Speedwell and Acorn like a bowling ball crashing into a bunch of pins, making the two bucks to cry out in irked surprise. Lily had decided to silflay by herself, keeping her distance from Bigwig or anyone who would agree with him to prevent her from leaving the high hills.

Just then, Blackberry came out of the burrow with Strawberry to speak with the lion manned buck about new adjustments for the newly built burrows for the former prisoners of Efrafa.

"You do know we need fresh straw for bedding, don't you?" the blue doe asked. "I can't abide a stale smelling burrow."

"Blackberry, you're a _tyrant_," Bigwig replied, feeling quite relaxed and laid-back. "We haven't stopped slogging since we got here from Efrafa. Wouldn't it be nice just to spend one day laying in the sun?"

Blackberry thought it over for a second before agreeing, "Hazel does keep us running, doesn't he?"

"We seem to keep ourselves running without him as well," chuckled Bigwig, pointing out to some of the rabbits playing a racing game.

Fiver, Vilthuril and Pipkin rushed forward once Pipkin shouted, "Go!" and the three rabbits took off. All of a sudden, Fiver halted in his tracks. Pipkin bumped into him, then came Vilthuril after.

"Ow! Not fair, Fiver!" Pipkin complained, until he realized Fiver's body began to tremble and shake. "What is it, Fiver?" the young kitten asked, concerned.

"Bigwig, I think you better come over here!" Vilthuril called out to gain everyone's attention.

Everyone gathered around in a crowd as Fiver began moaning loudly as a vision took place. The does began to mutter amongst themselves, worried. Lily decided to come over when she heard Fiver's agitated moans.

"Revenge is in his heart..." he spoke, "The killer comes back... Hate and revenge drive his attack..."

"Oh, great," grumbled Hawkbit. "_More_ trouble on the way."

"What's this about a killer?" questioned Bigwig.

"The weasel we fought in the early summer; he's coming for us. He's coming!" Fiver explained.

The does began to panic, trying to figure what they are going to do now that an elil is coming for them.

"Everyone, calm down!" Bigwig quickly took control of the situation. "We need to trap that weasel and smoke him out of this warren for good!"

By his commands, everyone made preparations for whatever the vengeful weasel had in store for them; most of the preparations included traps, and that meant extra diggers. The bucks were pleased to have does here, mostly to take care of the digging, but none of them were pleased to assist in the digging as they were forced to do it anyway. Standing in front of the center tree, Pipkin and Kehaar awaited orders from their boss.

"Kehaar, you go and scout the land for that weasel and report back if you see him," ordered Bigwig.

The gull saluted, "Okay, I spy weasel! Ooh, this weasel like rotten fish; to eat once is one thing, but to eat twice? _Ugh_!" And he took to the skies with a loud caw.

"Pipkin, your job is to warn everyone on the down," the lion buck said to the young kitten.

"I'll tell them the weasel is coming and that they should leave or get far underground!" replied Pipkin.

"Good lad." Bigwig smiled, pleased. "If that weasel thinks he's going to find a meal up here, then he's in for a surprise. Now, off you go."

Nodding, Pipkin ran off to warn the other residents of the Down.

Bigwig turned to go find Dandelion and Blackavar working together to fill in a side entrance so the weasel cannot get in. "Come on, you lot, put your backs into it!" he commanded, quite sternly. "I want every side entrance filled in by Frith-down!"

"I think you mean sunset," Lily corrected, her tone slightly cold before she lolloped off to help out in another part of the warren.

"You know what I mean, honey!" Bigwig disliked being told what sort of words his mate would say to him, upsetting him that she still couldn't speak their ancestral language.

Dandelion exhaustedly retorted, "Ease off, Bigwig. We're just about all in…"

"I don't need any backchat. I'm going to make this warren safe if you have to dig until you drop. _Clear_?" Then he left them to go check on the others.

Sighing irately, Dandelion mumbled, "At least when Hazel's pushing us around, he's _polite_ about it."

"Humph! And then there's our Bigwig," Blackavar huffed, frowning. "Almost just as bad as the Owsla in Efrafa… _almost_."

Lily overheard their complaints about her mate, and she understood what they are going through. She couldn't imagine who is the worse leader to forcibly confine her to the warren and boss rabbits around in their work: Hazel or Bigwig… Although, she believed General Woundwort is worse than her friends because of his cruelty.

Deep within the burrows of the warren, a small group of rabbits were digging a large hole in the tunnel to lure the weasel in it for a trap, the other half dug inside the hole to be steeper and ensure the weasel's attempt to climb out become difficult: Strawberry, Blackberry, Fiver, and Hawkbit.

"Right, that's it!" Hawkbit climbed out of the hole, exhausted and tired of dirt thrown in his face from inside the hole. "I need a breather."

Unfortunately, his request for a break wasn't accepted as Bigwig entered the tunnel and he disliked finding rabbits lying around when their lives are in danger, before sharply addressing Hawkbit. "Get back in there, you slackbottomed layabout, OR I'LL PUT YOU OUT FOR _WEASEL BAIT_!"

"There's no need for that tone, Bigwig!" scolded Blackberry, furious at his attitude. "Hawkbit's been digging as hard as he-!"

"I'm not asking for a debate! I'm in charge and what I say goes!" Bigwig cut her off, angrily. "Now get at it!"

No sooner had Bigwig left, Hawkbit had quite enough of this as he growled, "The sooner the weasel comes or Hazel comes back, the better." Then, he turned on Fiver. "And this is all your fault, you and your blighted visions! I bet if you didn't have them, we wouldn't have all this trouble!"

"Hawkbit, it's not Fiver's fault!" Blackberry tried to stop him.

"You're a _curse_ on this warren, Fiver! That's what _you_ are!"

Fiver stared at him, horrified. No words came out of his mouth, nothing he could say can convince Hawkbit he wasn't to blame. He raced out of the burrow, ignoring Strawberry and Blackberry's pleas.

* * *

As soon as the traps had been prepared and the fill in of the side entrances were complete, Bigwig praised an exhausted Dandelion and Blackavar lying on their backs, exhausted and panting heavily, before sending them underground to assist with the traps, albeit with the threat of them feeling his hindpaws to get them moving. Pipkin returned, after warning all of their neighbors about the weasel. However, the hedgehogs grew scared and asked to stay with the rabbits until the threat is over, and Bigwig politely accepted their request, having the _perfect_ spot in mind for them. Next, after overseeing the food gathering and assessing that they will soon have enough to last till the next moon with the current progress, he decided to go check on darkling doe, that is if Lily wanted to talk to him.

"Did you make sure the other does are secured in the Honeycomb, sealed up the entrance so the weasel can't get inside?" he asked, still as polite as he was toward Pipkin earlier.

"Yes." Lily refused to look at him, her attention still focused on Vilthuril when she asked of Fiver's whereabouts.

"I can't find him anywhere, and I'm so worried!" Vilthuril panicked, genuinely concerned. "What if the weasel finds him first before _we_ do?"

"Just calm down, Villy," assured Lily, using her new nickname. "We'll find him."

"Villy?" Bigwig's eyebrow quirked, and before he could say anything, Lily lolloped off to go search for Fiver. "Oy! Where are you going?" He prevented her from going downhill by rushing forward and blocking her path. "You can't leave the warren."

"I'm going to find Fiver," the doe replied, coldly.

"Then we'll go looking for him together." And to add with a dig, Bigwig growled, "And you're not leaving my side one minute." He began pushing her back to the main warren's entrance, where they discovered Blackberry and Hawkbit resting beneath the beach in the shade. "Having a nice holiday?" he questioned, scowling.

Hawkbit leapt up, startled. Blackberry scowled back at him, still angry about his outburst in the warren.

"We're done," explained Hawkbit. "Pits, barriers, the lot. You could learn a tip or two from Hazel: unpleasant leadership made easy."

"I'm trying to keep everyone alive, my old son," Bigwig retorted, "not win a popularity contest."

"No fear there."

"Watch it, Hawkbit!" The lion buck turned to the blue doe. "So, where's Fiver at?"

"He went off to eat," Blackberry replied. "I suppose he isn't back yet."

"Well, Vilthuril is looking for him and is worried sick about him," Lily explained.

Rolling his eyes, Bigwig groaned before he decided, "Come on, Lily. We'd better go find him. We don't want anyone wandering around, not with that weasel on his way." He then added to Blackberry and Hawkbit, "you two find something to do or I'll find you something _for_ you."

Leaving the two rabbits to find something to keep them occupied, Bigwig and Lily scoured the entire warren searching for the young runt. The lion maned buck made sure the doe never tried to sneak off, irritating her much further. They checked the burrows or any spot on the warren where rabbits go to silflay often, but the two rabbits met little success. The sun had set by the time the couple had just discovered Fiver hiding in a small gap under some large stones, looking miserable and dejected.

"What's the game, Fiver?" interrogated Bigwig, wrongly assuming the runt was playing hide and seek. "It's getting dark, and the weasel's on his way here."

"And it's my fault he's coming," added Fiver, wretchedly.

"What are you talking about?" asked Lily.

"Hawkbit was right! My visions... What if they're not seeing the future?" Fiver sighed, almost sounding like he was going to weep any second now. "What if my visions make things happen?"

Realizing that Hawkbit is the reason for Fiver's depression, Lily scowled furiously as she grunted, "Remind me to thrash Hawkbit when I see him!"

"We'll discuss it later, honey," Bigwig calmed her down, then turned his attention back to Fiver. "Don't be silly; come out of there."

But Fiver refused, not even budging an inch to move out of his hiding spit. "What if I caused Sandleford's destruction? And Hazel nearly died because of me? And you, caught in the shining wire?"

"None of that was your fault," Bigwig continued, trying to comfort the runt in a soothing voice that Lily never heard from him before.

"The ones at fault for those visions you foretold are the humans, not you," Lily added, trying to reach out a paw of friendship for him to take but he still didn't move.

"Hawkbit is right, I'm cursed!" Fiver began to weep. "I have to stay away. My visions can't hurt anyone if I'm out here on my own."

In that instant, Kehaar fly in from the sky to make a report to Bigwig, saying, "I see weasel! He's coming close and he's plenty mean tonight!"

"Come out, Fiver, we need you!" Lily pleaded, desperately.

"You go... They need you..." refused Fiver.

With an exasperated sigh, Bigwig tuned to the gull to say, "Stay with him. We'll be back when we can."

"Please don't let anything bad happen to him," pleaded Lily.

Kehaar nodded in understanding, and as the two rabbits left, the gull decided to try comforting Fiver as he said, "Don't worry, Fiver. I' not leave you."

Whilst returning to the main beech tree in the center, Lily and Bigwig found Hawkbit, Vilthuril, Dandelion and Blackavar standing guard at the warren's entrance. Thoughts of ways to punish Hawkbit for speaking such nasty things toward Fiver raced through Lily's mind, although she's not one for violence. Bigwig noticed the dark gleam in her eyes. He knew what she was thinking and he understood; Hawkbit needed to be taught a lesson.

"Did you find Fiver, then?" asked Vilthuril, hopefully.

"I did..." Bigwig replied, and then he towered over Hawkbit angrily, "...and _you_ and I are going to have a serious chat when this is over."

"What did I do now?" Hawkbit asked, acting like he had done nothing wrong.

"Poor Fiver is hiding in a pile of rocks because of you!" Lily snapped, rearing up on her back legs, ready to strike him at any second. "You insulted him as a curse on the warren!"

Vilthuril's eyes grew wider in alarm, then she turned on the grey rabbit and struck him, scratching his ear. This earned a pained cry from Hawkbit, and impressed Lily at the doe's strength. "You stupid, foul-mouthed chickweed!"

"There's no need for that kind of talk!" scolded Blackavar, as he put himself between the rabbits to prevent a fight. "And you are no better, Bigwig!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" inquired Bigwig, scorning.

"Blackberry told me what had happened," the torn rabbit explained, "Hawkbit would never have shouted at Fiver if you hadn't been behaving like an _embleer_ Efrafan! You're as much to blame as Hawkbit!"

Lily gawked at the dark rabbit for a second, then she scowled at Bigwig. "Are you proud of yourself now?" she asked, icily. "Fiver and Hawkbit wouldn't be in this mess if _you_ had learned to control your temper!"

Bigwig's green eyes burned savagely and he grinded his teeth, he wanted to deny being the cause of Hawkbit's attitude and Fiver's depression. No words came out of his mouth because their words stung him like a bee. Blackavar and Lily were right. This is his fault. He had been trying to keep everyone safe from the weasel, but in the process had thrown Fiver's life in danger if the runt remained outside, the lion buck silently dreaded that Fiver will end up as weasel food. Hazel will never forgive him if any harm came to his little brother. Hesitating, his apologized stumbled out from his lips, "I... I'm sorry... I'm just trying to keep everybody safe."

"We should get below and into position," Lily suggested, "We won't have a second chance if the weasel gets past our defenses."

"Right. You heard her. Tell everyone to get into position!" Bigwig directed, while the other rabbits obeyed orders as they scurried back into the warren.

* * *

Night had fallen on Watership Down. The sly weasel had returned, looking for an easy meal and revenge against the rabbits over his last visit. Briefly surprised to find no rabbits above ground, he soon figured they must be sleeping in their burrows underground. With stealth and silence, the weasel crawled through the main entrance, slithered down the tunnel and entered the Honeycomb chamber. He caught the scent of a pregnant rabbit, intriguing him with malicious intent. Just as he came close to finding the pregnant doe, who hid amongst an enclosed burrow with a quivering Pipkin at her side when they realized the weasel found them, the earth began to give way and the weasel collapsed into the pit that Blackberry and the others had created earlier.

Immediately, Bigwig and Hawkbit and Blackavar and Silver and Buckthorn darted out of the hidden burrows and started to kick dirt down on top of the monster, almost as if they intended to bury him alive. But the weasel had great speed as he leapt out of the pit, snarling viciously at his attackers. Most of the bucks retreated, but Blackavar and Silver stayed behind to tackle the weasel, scratching and biting and clawing at the intruder. Bigwig's calls forced the two bucks to retreat. The weasel gave pursuit, unaware of the awaiting hedgehogs as they curled up into sharp little balls. No sooner had the weasel stepped on them, he released a howl of pain. Quickly licking at his paws to ease the pain, the weasel bared his teeth as grew angrier than ever.

Dandelion, Speedwell, Acorn and Bluebell had joined the rest of the bucks as they all advanced on the weasel when the monster emerged from the side tunnel, surrounding him as they advanced closer toward him. The weasel desperately wanted to make a meal out of one these rabbits, but there was so many of them and there was no point in trying to kill them all. With a reluctant growl, the weasel turned tail and ran up the tunnel and out of the main entrance.

"Go find easier prey, belly crawler!" Bigwig yelled, still in a fighting position if the monster tried to come back. "There's none here!"

"I wait out here till you come... sooner or later, you'll come..." the weasel retorted at a distance, scorning.

"Wait all you want! We've got plenty of food, we won't be out for a long time!"

"And you won't find any prey out here, everyone's clear out until you're gone!" added Hawkbit, glaring.

"Stay here and you starve, my old son!" Bigwig finished boldly.

The weasel gave the rabbits one last vengeful growl before it slinked away into the tall grass. He wasn't going to give up easy, he would wait forever if any rabbit came up to feed and then he will get an easy meal. Suddenly, his nose whiffed in the air when he discovered the scent of another rabbit in the breeze. It led him to a large pile of rocks a little way near the warren. A wicked smirk spread across his drooling, sharp-fanged mouth. It appears he would be getting a meal sooner than he expected. He noticed a gull dozing close beside a rabbit within the gap of the rocks. He realized the bird must be a friend to the rabbits, so he decided to kill the bird first. The weasel crept slowly through the glass as he neared the gull, until he pounced for the gull.

Fortunately, Kehaar woke up just in time. He gave a startled squawk as he took to the skies, but he hovered for a little longer when he realized the danger Fiver was in, so he flew back to the beech trees to warn everyone. Fiver had awoken when he heard squawking, and he gasped in horror when he saw a familiar predator's face peering in at him through the gap. The weasel reached a paw in through the gap, his claws extended as he tried to catch hold of the runt. Fiver cowered, but he tried to defend himself by sinking his teeth into the weasel's paw.

Drawing his paw back with a pained hiss, the weasel began to taunt him, "Come out, little long-ear. No more waiting, I hungry for long-ear tonight."

Fiver shrank back to the corner of his small hiding space, but there wasn't much for him to move. He was trapped. The weasel swiped at him, his claws barely missing him by a few milometers.

"Get away from me!" he cried.

"Don't worry, little long-ear," the weasel chuckled, cruelly. "You won't feel a thing."

"And neither will _you_!" a familiar voice bellowed.

The weasel withdrew his head from the gap and looked up in time to see Bigwig, Silver, Blackavar and the rest of the bucks come charging in out of nowhere. With a roar, Bigwig lunged at him and tackled the weasel, the impact knocked him away from the rocks. As Bigwig struggled to hold the weasel down, he opened his mouth and buried his teeth into the weasel's throat, blood seeping out of the monster's neck. The weasel's growling and snarling grew silent when his life ended that night.

* * *

"Lily... Lily... wake up!"

A female voice disturbed Lily in her sleep, believing the Black Rabbit of Inlé had come for another visit in her dreams at first, until someone touched her shoulder and the doe woke up with a start, half frightened. To her surprise, there stood Clover.

"Oh... don't ever scare me like that again... for a minute there I thought you were the Black Rabbit," sighed Lily, then she nuzzled the former hutch rabbit affectionately. "Welcome home, Clover."

Clover returned the gesture with equal affection. "It's good to be home."

"So, you found Redstone warren?"

"Yes, but it fell under harsh times when the Great Sickness came seasons ago... but we brought back two rabbits who can tell us about it."

"You… you did? Who?"

"An elderly couple, their names are Captain Broom and Lady Blossom. He's a little absent-minded, but a good rabbit. She's always bickering with him, kind of amusing to us. They knew Hyzenthlay, Primrose and the other does when they were kittens... oh, but I think I'm getting ahead of myself. I'd rather _they_ tell you!" Clover could hardly contain her excitement. "Before I tell you the whole story, there's something I've been dying to tell you!"

"What is it?"

"I'm going to be a mother!" Clover sat upward to reveal a round belly full of young ones. "And so is Hyzenthlay!"

Lily gasped, thrilled and astonished that two more couples are going to have children of their own. "I'm so happy for you and Hyzenthlay!" She swung her paws around the former hutch rabbit, embracing her. "Now, tell me everything... err, not the details of you and Hyzenthlay mating with Hazel and Holly... I meant how you found Redstone warren."

As the two pregnant does left the burrow, Clover began explaining her tale of adventures when trying to find Redstone warren whilst they ate silflay together.


	21. The Vision p2

Whilst everyone on Watership Down had to deal with the weasel situation, Hazel and his three companions had traveled a long way to finding Redstone warren and made sure to avoid any elil if they ever come across one. The sun began to set, and then they came to an obstacle; a river, kept beneath them by high stone walls running along both sides of the river. The water was too low for them to swim in, though it would have been very deep if they tried to swim. There was no way to jump across the river to reach the other side, as it was too far to make such a jump and one of them could risk the chance of falling into the river.

"Well, this is a nice surprise," Holly grunted.

"You know, Bigwig said the same thing when my friends and I were on the run from you and the Sandleford Owsla," Hazel teased, until he resumed his seriousness. "I don't think we can get across. Swimming is no good, we'll never be able to climb out."

"Are you sure this is the way to get to Redstone?" Clover asked, warily.

"Redstone is on the far side," Hyzenthlay responded, eagerly. "There's got to be a way over and we won't find it sitting here."

"Look, Hyzenthlay-" Holly tried to object.

"Oh, come on, everyone!" Hyzenthlay interrupted, lolloping ahead of them.

By now, Holly was close to his wit's end. Truthfully, he didn't want his beloved doe to return to Redstone, fearing he may never see her again. "Hyzenthlay, wait!" he shouted.

Disturbed, Hyzenthlay paused to steal an irked glare at the pale grey buck. "What?" she growled.

"Are you sure you want to return to Redstone?" inquired Holly. "Frith meant us to live for today and tomorrow, not yesterday?"

"All those seasons in Efrafa, I had no future," replied Hyzenthlay, bluntly. "Now you want me to forget my past?!"

"Look, I didn't mean-"

"I'll find a way across, Holly! With or without you!" And just like that, Hyzenthlay began to hop down the trail staying close to the river, hoping to find a bridge to get across.

Holly sighed, rolling his eyes as he trailed after her at a short distance. Clover and Hazel exchanged concerned frowns, worried that Hyzenthlay's recklessness will put their lives in danger.

"They are beginning to sound like a bickering elderly married couple," Clover joked, trying to lighten the mood, but her mate found no humor in it.

As the four rabbits scoured the river to find a way across, Hyzenthlay was growing more impatient and determined than ever, pushing everybody to keep searching for something to cross the river. Holly failed at trying to convince her there was no way across and they should return to the high hills to figure this out. Hyzenthlay refused to listen to reason, often locked in bickering quarrels with the former Owsla captain, even when he accidently called her foolish. Hazel and Clover had to break up the arguments, which is starting to get on their nerves.

All of a sudden, the neigh of a horse and its galloping hooves caught the rabbits off guard. Quick as a wink, the rabbits concealed themselves in the bushes and peered out through the green leaves. As they watched, a horse wearing a harness was attached to a pair of thick ropes, and the ropes were tightly secured to an approaching boat, which the horse was pulling along the stream.

"What on earth is that horse doing with a boat?" Hazel questioned, baffled.

"I have no idea." Holly shrugged his shoulders.

"Stepping stones!" gasped Hyzenthlay, an idea that briefly confusing the others. "We can hop onto the boat, then onto the far side!"

"Hyzenthlay, I don't think-" Hazel protested, but the doe was already lolloping toward the boat, so he knew they had no choice but to follow her.

One by one, the rabbits leapt quickly onto the boat. They stood cautiously still on a huge green sheet that covered whatever could be hidden beneath it. Waiting a few seconds, they lunged for the opposite bank. However, Clover lost her grasp on the bank and screamed as she plummeted into the river below. The rabbits watched in horror as the current dragger the former hutch rabbit downstream.

"CLOVER!" yelled Hazel, and then he took off down the bank trying to catch up to her and rescue her somehow.

Holly and Hyzenthlay stared down at her, petrified. Regaining their wits, they joined the pursuit as Clover coughed and sputtered water out of her mouth, trying to stay afloat, but the current was too strong and it carried her downstream.

"Help me!" she gasped, doing the best she can to stay afloat on the surface.

"Keep going, Clover!" Hazel encouraged, as he ran like El-ahrairah, frantically determined to save his doe before she drowned. "You're doing fine! We'll find a way out!"

"I can't do it!"

In case he failed to rescue her in time, Hazel shouted at the top of his lungs, confessing his true feelings for her, "I WANT US TO BE TOGETHER FOR _ALWAYS_, CLOVER! I WANT US TO HAVE AS MANY CHILDREN AS EL-AHRAIRAH! _SWIM!_"

Suddenly, Hazel ceased in his tracks. He noticed a huge wooden canal gate up ahead. If Clover hit the gate, the impact would kill her. To make things worse, another boat came speeding towards the poor doe, the waves of the boat's movements made it all the more difficult for Clover to swim. Panic grew in his heart as Hazel desperately thought of a way to save Clover in time. Just as Holly and Hyzenthlay caught up with him, the Chief Rabbit leapt off the bank's edge and into the water.

"**HAZEL!**" Holly and Hyzenthlay yelled, shocked by his impulsive actions.

Helpless and exhausted, Clover gave up and allowed the water's weight to pull her under. Hazel sucked in a deep breath and dove in. Seconds later, he resurfaced with an unconscious Clover in his embrace. As the boat paused at the gate, a man got out of the boat and pulled a lever to open the wooden gate.

Too tired to swim or wait for the others to help them, Hazel let the current carry both him and Clover through the open gate, letting themselves drift down stream until the stone walls disappeared where the two rabbits floated down a river, where Hazel struggled to haul himself and Clover toward a dry dirt bank. Once they made it to shore, Hazel immediately collapsed, exhausted. Clover's eyes gradually opened, looked around and discovered her buck lying beside. She put two and two together, realizing what he did for her.

The screeches of an owl alarmed Clover. She knew that they had to get to cover or else the elil will find them. As she nudging him against his neck, her touches awakened him. Hazel sat upward, looking around worriedly to where they are and if they are still alive. When he saw Clover smiling at him, instant relief swept over him. Though no one was most relieved when Holly and Hyzenthlay found them, rushing to their aide to see if they needed help.

"Hazel, Clover, are you alright?" Holly asked, concerned.

"Yes, but we've got to keep moving," replied Hazel. "The owls will be out hunting soon, and it's getting dark." When his green eyes locked on Hyzenthlay, an angry snarl tore out of Hazel's throat. He almost lost Clover tonight if not for the brown doe's reckless nature. He felt fury boiling up inside of him. "I warned you that your recklessness would have cost someone's life! And mark my words, this is only the beginning of what could almost happen to any of us!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Hyzenthlay, offended by the rabbit's attitude.

"Clover might have died tonight because of _you_!"

"That wasn't my fault! If anyone's to blame, it's Fiver! If your brother didn't tell me that _awful_ vision, then maybe I wouldn't have become reckless!"

"You can't always blame the messenger just because you don't like the message, especially if it's from someone who has only seen the truth! So far, everything that Fiver has said was right: Sandleford being destroyed, Bigwig getting caught in a snare, finding Watership Down and me getting shot by a farmer! All of it was because of him! So, don't you blame Fiver for not wanting to accept what may in fact be true! BLAME _YOUSELF_!" Hazel bellowed out in a rage unbecoming of him, making Hyzenthlay back away in fear and hidden sorrow.

"That's enough, Hazel!" Holly instantly broke up what could be another argument and determined to find a hiding area to avoid the elil. "We'll discuss this later."

As Hyzenthlay glared at the Chief Rabbit, she knew that Hazel was right. Her hardened soul behind her eyes on the verge of breaking as she tried to remain strong. Without another word, she ran off.

"Hyzenthlay, wait!" Holly called out, pursuing her.

No sooner had the rabbits gone, Clover gratefully turned toward Hazel, smiling, "You came into the water after me, even though you weren't sure we'd make it."

"I love you," Hazel confessed, until his furry cheeks had a shade of red when it dawned on him, much to his embarrassment. "Did I say that out loud?"

"Yes, Hazel, you did." Clover giggled, prepared to make her own confession. "And, I never told you this before, but... I love you."

Hazel felt a warmth in his heart that he never felt before. "You didn't have to."

As he brought her in for a romantic head nuzzle, the two rabbits gasped when an owl's hoot frightened them, so there was no time to express their mutual feelings for each other. They left the dry bank, just as an owl paused to scan the area where it thought some prey had been nearby. Finding an enclosed space in the bushes, Hazel and Clover decided now was the time to express their love with fire and passion, and no prying eyes peeping in on them, using the same romantic techniques Bigwig told them whenever he mated with Lily.

Around that time, Holly had managed to catch up to Hyzenthlay when he found her beneath a beech tree, her head hung low and laying on all fours, feeling miserable. He approached her cautiously, then he laid beside her. He knew the doe was devastated by Hazel's harsh words for lashing out at her. He wanted to find some way to cheer her up, and he believed this was the right time to do it.

"When you arrived at Watership Down, I told myself I'd do whatever I could to make you smile," Holly said, "now I'm afraid I'm not going to get that chance to make it happen."

"So, how were you planning on doing it?" asked Hyzenthlay, glancing in his direction.

"Well, I'd thought about saying something to show how much I respect you... but in the end I'd just planned on telling you how... beautiful I think you are."

Touched by his words, Hyzenthlay lovingly nuzzled closer to former Owsla captain. Then she began to lick him, transforming it into a kiss. Holly had never been kissed before, but he liked it instantly and returned it with equal affection. What took place next made the embarrassed squirrels in the trees take cover in their homes so not to watch such intense love making.

_**Some call it faith, some call it love**_  
_**Some call it guidance from above**_  
_**You are the reason we found ours**_  
_**So thank you stars**_

_**Some people think it's far away**_  
_**Some know it's with them every day**_  
_**You are the reason we found ours**_  
_**So thank you stars**_

_**There are no winds that can blow it away on the air**_  
_**When they try to blow it away, when you know it will always be there**_

_**To some it's the strength to be apart**_  
_**To some it's a feeling in the heart**_  
_**And when you're out there on your own, it's the way back home**_

_**There are no winds that can blow it away on the air**_  
_**When they try to blow it away, when you know it will always be there**_

_**Some call it faith, some call it love**_  
_**Some call it guidance from above**_  
_**You are the reason we found ours**_  
_**So thank you stars**_  
_**Thank you stars**_

After a night of passion and mating, the two couples reunited at the edge of a hill where, by coincidence, the location of the warren they had been searching for lay just beyond the hill before them: Redstone warren.

"We're here!" Hyzenthlay, for the first time in her life, began to smile the most beautiful smile that Holly had longed to see.

Hazel, Clover and Holly stared in awe at the warren, surrounded by a circle of giant rust-red stones, thus explaining the warren's namesake and a small resemblance to the famous Stonehenge. Some of them were sticking out at an angle from the ground and others stood as tall as the trees. The entrance to the warren was located at main base of stones, as if displaying how majestic and important it is, probably the home of a Chief Rabbit.

"Come on, let's go!" Hyzenthlay exclaimed, the adrenaline racing through her veins as she raced downhill toward her old home.

"I've never seen her so happy before," Clover whispered in Hazel's ear.

Hazel nodded in silent response, smiling in support. They noticed how worried Holly looked when they made it to the warren. One of them was about to ask if he was alright, until they overheard Hyzenthlay calling out for the names of rabbits they never met at the main entrance. Nobody answered her calls. Something was obviously wrong.

"Poppy? Lavender? Sage?" Hyzenthlay shouted, her voice carried an echo in the tunnels of the warren. "Mother? Father? Anyone here?"

The rest of the group hurried in after her, sniffing the grounds of the burrows or searching for tracks. Cobwebs were everywhere in every burrow and tunnel.

"Old scent," reported Hazel. "There's been no one here for seasons."

"Then... Fiver was right..." Hyzenthlay admitted, realizing the terrible truth punched her in the stomach. The doe wished she could have taken back the awful things she said to Fiver before leaving the high hills. She hung her head, ashamed. "Everyone's gone... long ago..."

All of a sudden, two distant voices called out in the dark shadows of the tunnels.

"_Who's there?_" came a male voice.

"_Who's trespassing in our warren?_" came a female voice.

Hazel, Holly and Hyzenthlay prepared themselves into fighting positions, although Clover couldn't fight as she had to stay behind Hazel so he can protect her from whatever harm is approaching them. And then, two elderly rabbits came hopping out of one of the side tunnels. The first elderly rabbit was a buck with gray fur and a white underbelly with a goatee and dark blue eyes, and the second elderly rabbit was a doe with pale pinkish gray fur and golden orange eyes.

Hyzenthlay stared at the two rabbits for a moment, and her eyes lit up in recognizing the two elders. "Captain Broom! Blossom!" she gasped.

The two elderly rabbits stared blankly at the battered doe for a second, until their eyes widened in surprised recognition.

"Primrose, is it?" Captain Broom asked, mistaking her for someone else.

"No, you blind bat!" Blossom corrected her mate, irritated. "It's Hyzenthlay!

"Oh, quite right. Still, you've been gone for… how long now?"

"Where have you been all these seasons, sweetheart? Broom and I were so worried about you, Primrose and the other does."

"I'll explain later. What happened here?" Hyzenthlay wanted to get straight to the point. "Where is everyone? Where are my parents?"

Captain Broom sighed, dismally. "All gone... There was a Great Sickness. The Black Rabbit of Inlé took everyone, but me and Blossom... that was a few seasons ago... oh yes, a few." He grew silent for a second, before he gestured toward a tunnel behind Clover, shouting, "Look, there's Sage!"

Clover and the rest of the gang turned around, but saw nobody behind them.

"Hello, Sage. Look who's here," Captain Broom started to hop off down another tunnel, talking to no one in particular. "Hyzenthlay has come home! What's that, Lavender? A carrot? Good work, Lavender."

The rest of the rabbits watched him leave, deducing the old rabbit must have gone insane over the seasons. Although Blossom was the only sane rabbit in this empty warren, she shook her head in disappointment.

"Poor old Captain Broom," sighed Hyzenthlay.

"You get used to it after living with him for long and lonely seasons," Blossom explained, dismayed. "Now, where are Primrose and the other does? And who are these strangers you brought home with you?" She eyed the doe's three companions suspiciously. "Didn't your parents warn you never to bring hlessi into the warren unless you know if they are good or bad?"

"Oh, it's alright, Blossom. These are my friends, and I would never have made it here without their help," assured Hyzenthlay. "This is Clover, a former hutch rabbit from Nuthanger farm..." Clover bowed her head politely, "Captain Holly of the Sandleford Owsla and my mate..." Holly bowed his head like a gentleman, "and this is Hazel-rah, Chief Rabbit of Watership Down warren."

Blossom examined the three rabbits, sniffing at their scent with a strange neutral frown on her expression. For a second, Hazel and the others assumed she might lash out at them. But the old doe suddenly gave Hazel a hearty pat on the back, almost knocking the wind out of him as he never knew the strength the old doe possessed.

"Well, it's good to meet you, lads and lass!" the elderly doe chuckled. "Thank you for returning Hyzenthlay to Redstone."

"It was nothing." Hazel smiled.

"Just doing my job." Holly waved off her thanks.

"That's what friends are for." Clover nodded.

"Then you must be very loyal friends to Hyzenthlay and..." responded Blossom, until she realized someone else is not with them. "Now, why aren't Primrose and the other does with you? I seemed to recall a large group of monstrous rabbits invaded our warren and stole a number of does, including you." No words were needed when Hyzenthlay turned away, a sorrow in her eyes told a shocked Blossom that Primrose had stopped running long ago. "Oh no..."

"But the rest of does are alright and living at our new home in Watership Down," Holly reassured her. "It's sort of a long story."

"Well, you can tell me about it once we go there."

"Uhh, come again?"

"Yes, 'we' as in me and Broom! We can't spend the rest of our lives here in this ghost warren. What, you can't hear what I'm saying?" Blossom corrected, wrongly assuming this pale grey rabbit is deaf. "Oi, Broom! Where are you?" She hopped off down the same tunnel her mate had gone to.

The four rabbits retreated to the outside warren, sitting beneath one of the huge red stones, gazing up at the magnificent starlit sky. Hyzenthlay was heartbroken. Her parents were gone. Her friends were gone. Her home warren, dead and empty. Everything was falling apart for her.

"I'm sorry," Holly comforted her, placing a paw of solace over her own. He remembered the pain of losing his friends and family when Sandleford warren got brutally massacred. "I know how hard it is to lose a home."

"Every night in my dreams, I'd leave Efrafa with Primrose and my friends and come home," Hyzenthlay replied, completely discouraged. "They were all here... my parents... all alive..." she shook her head in dismay, "but they weren't really... they've all gone with the Black Rabbit of Inlé."

"But their spirits stayed on because you needed them," Hazel spoke with strong wisdom. "Now it's time to set them free. You still have Watership Down, and everyone there who cares about you. Vilthuril… Nelthilta... Thethuthinnang… all of us…"

Clover and Holly nodded in agreement.

Hyzenthlay raised her head up to face them, tears in her eyes, but she gave a weak smile. "And all my tomorrows," she gazed up at the moon, as if seeing the faces of her parents, her sister and her friends, inspiriting her they will be alright and she must let go of the past.

At that moment, Captain Broom and Blossom emerged from the warren's main entrance and approached the four rabbits.

"Can't find anyone around here all of a sudden; the whole place is empty," Captain Broom said, though it might have sounded strange for a rabbit his age talking to nobody, but his words sounded soothing. "Odd that. I was just talking to Lavender and to your parents. They said goodbye... and so did Sage, Poppy and all the others; it's strange."

Hyzenthlay felt her heart melting. "I'm sure they will miss us."

"We're going home now, Captain Broom," Hazel said, "To a place in the high hills. You and Blossom will like it there."

"You see, dear?" Blossom smirked, elbowing him in the shoulder.

Captain Broom thought this over for a second, and he instantly agreed to come with them. "Can't stay here with no one around but my mate, can I? High hills you say? Sounds lovely."

"It's the most beautiful place in the world," Clover began telling the elderly couple all about as she and the bucks led them out of the abandoned warren.

Whilst everyone left the abandoned Redstone warren, Hyzenthlay paused to take one final glance back at her former home warren. "Goodbye, everyone," she whispered. "Thank you."

* * *

"...And so, we took a different path to find our way home, and to avoid another incident at the river," Clover concluded the end of her story, finishing her breakfast.

"That's quite a story, Clover," Lily awed, impressed. "I wish I could have been there to see this warren... if not for Hazel's stupid rule to keep me locked up."

"Oh yes..." Clover frowned in disappointment. "I did try to talk Hazel out of it during our journey home, but you know a Chief Rabbit can be immovable."

"Especially Bigwig!" Lily grumbled under her breath, scorning. "What are Hazel and Bigwig so afraid of? Why are they doing this to me?"

"Lily, listen to me..." Clover used her paw to tilt the doe's head up to look at her, not forcibly, and she spoke in a kind and motherly voice, "When you were taken, I was told by Blackberry that not once did Hazel nor Bigwig sleep through a night. Your abduction, including mine, haunted them every second of every day."

"Are you saying that makes Hazel and Bigwig right for what they're doing?!"

"No, I'm asking you to consider that despite how rash and drastic their actions may seem, or how much you disagree with them... they come from the love and care they have for you."

Lily's angered expression faded, thinking over what the white and brown doe told her.

"But you are right, their decisions are wrong," added Clover. "Now, come on. I want you to meet Captain Broom and Blossom."

The two elderly rabbits were close by, engaged in friendly conversation with Blackberry and Strawberry when Hyzenthlay introduced them.

"Hello Captain," greeted Blackberry. "And hello Milady. We're very glad to have you here."

"Welcome to Watership Down," added Strawberry. "You are going to love it here."

"Very nice spot you have here, quite nice." Captain Broom complimented on the new warren. "Not Redstone, mind you, but what is, eh?" He chuckled, then he prodded at the two confused does in their chest areas to make sure they weren't a figment of his imagination. "Yes, quite solid. Most satisfactory. Right, let's take a look then, shall we?" He vanished through the main entrance to explore the warren.

"What was that about?" Strawberry questioned.

"He's been talking to ghosts all these seasons." Blossom rolled her eyes, then she noticed Lily and her pregnant belly. "Hello there, sweet lass. And I see you've got yourself a litter of little ones." The old doe slyly winked at her, wiggling her eyebrows. "You've been really busy with this Bigwig fellow, haven't you?"

Lily's entire face became a bright red shade as Clover and the other does giggled, and she wanted to change the subject quickly. "Uhh, I'm going to find Fiver and punish Hawkbit!"

The ginger doe bounded across the field to reach the pile of stones where a small group of bucks surrounded the spot, trying to coax Fiver to come out. Pushing her way through the crowd, she could hear what Hazel was saying to his little brother.

"I told you, I can't live at Watership Down anymore!" Fiver rejected, hurt. "Please, go away!"

"Not likely," said Bigwig.

"Look, Hawkbit and Bigwig told me what happened," Hazel reasoned. "Your visions don't cause things to happen, Fiver. You are seeing the future."

"You can't know that!" replied Fiver. "Hawkbit was right."

As he spoke, Hazel whirled around to scowl at the surprised Hawkbit, scorning, "Some of us blame the messenger when they don't like the message, that's all he meant. Not to mention Bigwig's attitude is the reason for his behavior."

Bigwig opened his mouth to protest, but he noticed everybody glaring in his direction, shaking their heads to remind him this was partly his fault. He shut his mouth again. Hawkbit cried out in slight pain when Lily cuffed at the bottom, he would have said something snippy to her, but the cold look in her eyes forced him to shut up.

"I'm sorry, Fiver," Hawkbit apologized, massaging his bottom to ease the pain.

"Same here... I am _truly_ sorry, Fiver," apologized Hyzenthlay, feeling guilty for shouting at him.

"Listen Fiver," Lily spoke out, "just the other morning, you had a vision about Redstone warren."

"Yes… I said Hazel and the others will find it abandoned, everybody gone."

"And you were right, but they left seasons ago. Your vision didn't cause anything," Hazel pointed out.

Hearing this, Fiver's eyes lit up in disbelief. "It happened _seasons_ ago?"

"Yes, and we've brought back a few rabbits who can tell you about it," Hazel agreed.

At last, Fiver crawled out of the gap within the rocks. "So, my visions don't cause things! I _am_ seeing the truth!" Not only did he feel better, but the truth of Hazel's journey and the news of two newcomers from Redstone had come to live here brought a sense of joy to the runt.

"That's what I've been saying half the night," Bigwig conveyed, a little frustrated but relieved that he finally got the message.

"But not the way Hazel said it," Fiver remarked.

Bigwig rolled his eyes a bit. "No, of course not."

"Now let's hear about the weasel, and I've got stories to tell about our journey to Redstone," Hazel announced, eager to tell everybody about his adventures and to hear about the weasel's return.

"Such as?" asked Bigwig.

"Well, for one thing..." Hazel tried to remain calm as he prepared to announce the biggest surprise to everybody present. "I'm going to be a father... and so is Holly."

"Oh, I could have told you _that_," Fiver laughed, excited at the prospect of becoming an uncle.

Everybody cheered and amazed that their Chief Rabbit and his mate are going to have a litter of their own. Some of them congratulating the two soon-to-be parents and asking so many questions on details of their mating, others asked if they'd like to come up with names for the kittens. Lily trailed after them, whilst thinking over what Clover told her about Hazel and Bigwig's rash decision to keep her imprisoned in the warren for her safety. She understood they cared about her, but something in the back of her mind told her this was not right. The doe was going to be a mother soon, but she somehow foresaw that she would share with her kittens when raising them, not just at the warren but in the outside world, the many adventures that awaited them, from joy to sorrow.


	22. Tale of a Mouse p1

"_**AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH****!**_"

A scream of anguish and pain erupted from the usually quiet and peaceful high hills of Watership Down, where a crowd of agitated rabbits waited at the main entrance listening to the cries of a soon-to-be mother giving birth. Lily had gone into labor, or kindle in rabbit language, while she had been out silflaying with the does. Vilthuril, who is now heavy with young now when she mated with Fiver, alerted Hazel and the others of what recently occurred. Concern and panic swept over Bigwig as he immediately escorted his doe to their burrow, where Blackberry took charge of the situation and had to use force to kick Bigwig out. The news spread like wildfire when every rabbit rushed to the main beech tree at the center of warren, eager to see the newborns, but Blackberry strictly ordered them to wait outside so she can concentrate on bringing Lily's newborn into the world.

For what seemed like hours, worry and apprehension colored the faces of the rabbits, including Kehaar and Hannah, as they listened to Lily's cries of agonizing pain, wincing as her cries pierced their ears that felt like claws on a chalkboard. A very anxious Bigwig leaned his ear close to the main entrance, eager to know if his mate and their litter would be alright and what the gender they were. He tried to sneak in, but was prevented from entering by Thethuthinnang.

"You're not allowed inside until the mother and her newborn are checked over," she said, holding up her paw.

"I don't give a damn!" Bigwig growled. He was determined to be by his mate's side so he easily passed through the main entrance, shoving Thethuthinnang to the side.

"Thlayli!" Holly called out to him. "You can't just go barging in on her at a time like this!"

"Let him go," interrupted Hyzenthlay, preventing her mate from pursing the lion maned buck. "He's very worried about Lily. Wouldn't you be worried if I was in labor and you weren't there to help me get through this?"

After thinking over what she told him, Holly relented as he understood that Hyzenthlay was right.

Inside her burrow, Lily lay in her nest breathing heavily, surrounded by Strawberry and Thethuthinnang, trying their best to calm her down. She wanted Bigwig to be at her side, but Blackberry refused as she urged Lily to push as hard as she could. Bigwig had made it in time to grasp Lily's paw and gently assuring her to stay calm. Blackberry angrily tried to force Bigwig to leave, but the lion maned buck fumingly scorned back at her that he is Lily's mate and he will not leave this burrow until his babies are born. Strawberry brushed her paw over Lily's forehead to wipe off the sweat as Blackberry and Bigwig encouraged her to push. Thethuthinnang soothed the doe with reassurance and encouragement, whilst Lily clenched her teeth and the whites in her eyes exposed when the pupils rolled in the back of her head.

"C'mon, you can do it! Oh look, I see little ears!" Strawberry caught sight of an infant rabbit's head emerging from the doe's open entrance, then came a face, a small body, and finally came the tail. The kitten squealed the second he was born, covered in birth blood, but he was immediately cared for and cleaned by Thethuthinnang and Strawberry, licking the blood off and placing the kitten by his mother's chest where he began feeding off the milk from her nipple.

"It's a buck!" exclaimed Thethuthinnang, when she checked the gender of the firstborn kitten.

"YES!" Bigwig swiped a victory paw in the air, delighted at having a son of his very own.

"We're not out of the woods yet." Blackberry cut off his brief celebration. "There's still more kittens that need to be delivered."

Then Lily drew in a sharp breath as tears streamed out of her eyes. She felt her mate's presence close by, relieved to have his support. She desperately wanted the pain to end, but she grew determined to get the last of her kittens to come out. The second kitten emerged from her entrance, this time it was a doe, squealing. When she came out, the does quickly cleaned off the blood and placed the kitten beside her sibling to feed off her mother's milk. Feeling the last of her litter ready to come out, Lily pushed with all of her might. Another kitten's head gradually emerged from the doe's opening, later joined by the tiny body. She began to squeal seconds after she was born, covered in birth blood and cleaned up by the does.

"The last two are does!" said Thethuthinnang, smiling in relief.

"Thank goodness it's over," sighed Strawberry, as she took a few steps backwards to relax.

"Congratulations Bigwig," praised Blackberry. "You have one son and two daughters."

"Thank you, Blackberry, and many thanks to you, lasses." Bigwig smiled, deeply grateful for their assistance. "Alright, you can all come in now!" he hollered up at the tunnel that lead to the outside of the warren. Though he secretly wished his mate had given birth to more than three babies. Nevertheless, he was quite happy to be a father to a litter of three.

Everybody anxiously pushed or shoved their way inside, desperate to see how the delivery went and to make sure if Lily was alright. Reaching the burrow, there in the nest lay the exhausted mother surrounded by her nursemaid does and her proud mate who affectionately nuzzled her forehead. Feeding off her milk were the new kittens, two girls and one boy. A chorus of 'awwws' sounded, watching the infants making adorable squeals and baby noises as they continued to feed.

"I've never seen a more likely group of healthy kits in all my seasons," Captain Broom said. "You ought to be congratulated."

"Yes, congratulations!" answered a crowd of rabbits.

"Thank you very much," Lily responded, sincerely.

"They're so small," said Pipkin, curiously staring at the infant bunnies.

"They're so... wet and squishy," Hawkbit commented, raising an eyebrow.

"Because they were just born!" Dandelion slightly scorned at the grey buck, lightly cuffing the back of his head and earning him a scowl from Hawkbit in turn.

"We're all very happy for you, Bigwig," Hazel commended, smiling. "And we're happy for your mate, too."

"Thanks, Hazel." Bigwig nodded, then he started boasting with pride, "I've been looking forward to having a beautiful doe and a litter of kittens in my burrow. Lots of little Bigwigs, Hazel! Think of that, and tremble! Ha, ha!"

"Oh,_ I'm_ trembling already." Hawkbit grunted under his breath.

Leaning in very closely to the kittens and so that no one will hear him, Bigwig whispered to them with fatherly love, "I promise... I'll never let anything happen to you as long as I'm here." One of the kittens, the second born, reached her nose up to sniff at him. She touched noses with her father and Bigwig's heart melted, giving the tiny kitten a lick on her forehead.

Names had been given to the little ones right after they were born. The firstborn kitten, a buck called Basil. The second born kitten, a doe called Aubretia. The youngest kitten, a doe called Violet, named in honor of her mother's fallen friend.

The day after Bigwig and Lily's kittens had been born, Clover had gone into kindle. Inspired by Bigwig's actions yesterday, Hazel decided to remain at Clover's side whenever she cried out in agony by soothing reassurance and encouraging her to keep pushing. At last, she gave birth to four healthy kittens: Melsa, Sandwort, Scabious and Gilia. Hazel was thrilled to have the children he always dreamed of sharing with Clover, though some of the rabbits were speechless because Clover picked the name Scabious for one of her sons. Hazel and Bigwig had to explain to Clover of whom Scabious was in Sandleford, but Clover determined to keep the name because despite how cruelly the Sandleford Owsla treated them, it doesn't mean they shouldn't name their kittens in their honor after suffering a terrible fate at the hands of humans.

A few days later, Vilthuril and Hyzenthlay had gone into labor separately. Fiver and Vilthuril became the proud parents of three kittens: a buck called Threar, named in honor of Silver's uncle (Silver almost choked up when Fiver had chosen to name his son after his poor uncle), and two does Butterbur and Willow. The names of Holly and Hyzenthlay's children are Nightshade, a buck, a doe named Celandine, and the last born a buck named Ash.

Everybody rejoiced over the birth of a new litter, or rather _four_ litters that happened in four days. Blackberry, Strawberry and Thethuthinnang were praised for all of their hard work and determination, although Blackberry wished she never had to go through all of that screaming and blood licking again. Bluebell made a joke of Blackberry suffering through childbirth on her own if she ever decided to become his mate, a joke that caused the doe to cuff him on the hindquarters. To Hazel and Lily, it felt wonderful to have kittens in the warren. It truly felt like they are really here to stay on Watership Down.

**_Like the view from a hill_**  
**_I can see you and me_**  
**_Like the view from a hill_**  
**_It's so easy to see_**

**_Here's where we belong_**  
**_I feel it so strong_**  
**_And I see it so clear_**  
**_As I always will_**  
**_Like the view from a hill_**

**_Like a bird in the sky_**  
**_I can see us below_**  
**_As it all passes by_**  
**_I believe that I know_**

**_This feeling of love_**  
**_Seen from above_**  
**_Goes on and on_**  
**_As it always will_**  
**_Like the view from a hill_**

**_One day we may want to know_**  
**_Where did our short lives go_**  
**_How soon will it end_**  
**_How strong will it grow_**

**_Like the view from a hill_**  
**_I can see through the tears_**  
**_Like the view from a hill_**  
**_I can see down the years_**

**_Here's where we belong_**  
**_I feel it so strong_**  
**_And I see it so clear_**  
**_As I always will_**  
**_Like the view from a hill…_**

As the days passed, the kittens had begun to open their eyes and leave their burrows with their parents to explore the warren. They were old enough to go out for silflay, frolic in the grass, and playing games with their adopted aunts or uncles. The kittens were taught the ways of how a rabbit lives in the wild, the stories of El-ahrairah that passed down from generations, and Bigwig or Holly teaching them to run from elil or to defend themselves.

One morning, Kehaar flew over the high hills pretending to be a hawk or an owl while pursuing the kittens. Their parents kept an eye on them beneath the beech trees. Most of the other rabbits were either playing or silflaying or inside the warren doing who knows what else. Lily chuckled, impressed and amused at her babies using tricks to avoid the gull. Over the past several weeks, she had forgotten about her grudge against Hazel and Bigwig forbidding her to leave the warren. Perhaps the two bucks had forgotten about it, so maybe she could persuade them to give her back the freedom she deserved.

"Isn't it wonderful having little ones around the place? It feels we're really here to stay," Hazel sighed in true bliss.

"I agree. Even after losing my farm and my family, it feels like I've got a second chance at life," Lily agreed.

"All the seasons I've lived in Efrafa, it never felt like home," recalled Hyzenthlay, despite the scars of living in the abusive and militaristic warren, she found true happiness of being free and falling in love with Holly. "But here… I can't imagine being happier…"

"Hazel, watch this," Bigwig said, eager to show his mate and the other parents of what the kittens learned.

Everyone watched as Kehaar circled the air, pretending to be either a hawk or an owl, still in pursuit after the young rabbits. Before Kehaar could reach them as he extended his webbed feet out at the lolloping youngsters, the kittens were clever enough to maneuver one side that made Kehaar miss his catch and crash landed, sliding to a halt right in front of the parents.

"Are you hurt, Uncle Kehaar?" Aubretia asked in a cute voice.

The gull opened one eye, then opened another with a smile on his beak, signaling the baby doe that he was alright. He stood back up as he dusted his wings off, complimenting, "Those are pretty fast baby chicks you got there. Pretty smart, too."

"They should be," Hazel said. "Holly and Bigwig have been teaching them everything they know."

The rest of the gang came over to see what has been going on, making the kittens decide to go dog pile on Hawkbit and Silver, neither of them minded their playful gestures.

"That won't take long, mind you." Hawkbit laughed as he laid on his back, holding Sandwort on his stomach. "Somebody should teach them manners."

Suddenly Silver burst out laughing hysterically. "Hey, No-no tickling! Now, you can't just... Now, now we don't do that here in this warren... No, you're tickling! I can't stand the tickling!" Scabious, Ash, Basil and Nightshade were scratching underneath his armpits or on his stomach, finding his tickle spots. "_HELP,_ _CAPTAIN HOLLY!_"

"You're on your own, lad." Holly shook his head, smirking. "Seeing you laugh for once? Frith knows the last time we're going to see something so rare?"

Thankfully, Lily came to the white buck's rescue. She pried the youngsters off Silver's stomach. "Come on now, give your Uncle Silver some air!" Silver could only pant heavily, breathing in air with sweet relief after that laughter, which felt… both natural _and_ unnatural to him.

"When I was their age, I was already raiding gardens for flayrah. Nothing like your first bite of tender juicy carrot. Mmm-_hmm_." Bigwig recalled back to his childhood, remembering his first raid on a garden and eating his very first carrot. Thinking about flayrah gave the lion maned buck an idea to treat his newborn children and their friends. "You know, our little ones deserve a taste of the best food in the world. A bit of a turnip might be rather nice. I got it! What do you say we visit the farm, Hazel?"

"By Frith, Thlayli!" Holly gasped, bolting upright on his feet in alarm. "Your first time as a father and you want to risk yourself, raiding farms where the humans live?!"

Those words caught Bigwig off guard, offending him. "I'm not trying to throw my life away for my kits! And nobody said anything about humans except _you_!"

"Our first day of peace and quiet, and you've got your mind set on an adventure," Hazel sighed. "Not to mention starting a fight that could frighten your babies." He glanced over at the kittens, already frightened of Holly's outburst.

"Bigwig has never been one for quiet reflection," Fiver said.

"Reflection's for mill ponds, ha! This time of the year, brussels sprouts are at their peak. Be a shame to be wasted all on Man, wouldn't you say?" Bigwig laughed, hopping toward the edge of the hill and staring out at Nuthanger farm in the distance.

Angered at having his warning ignored, Holly gave the lion maned buck a stern glare. "Remember what I told you, Thlayli? You have a reputation for being impetuous. You need to consider how this idea of yours of raiding the farm will work out. This is not the time for impulsiveness!"

Stupefied, Bigwig opened his mouth to make a harsh retort at being called impetuous again, until a tiny voice spoke up.

"What does 'impetshush' mean?" Threar questioned, mispronouncing the two words. "And who is Tayli?"

"_Impetuous_ means hot-headed and Bigwig's actual name is _Thlayli_," Blackberry corrected the young buck, slowly enunciating the words carefully.

Hazel began thinking about what Holly said, understanding his concerns of avoiding humans at all costs, but there was more than just the dangerous farmer and his gun. "What about Bob and Duster? They're not the sort of dogs whom let us wander into the garden and help ourselves now, are they?"

As a result, Bigwig grew disappointed that his plan of raiding the farm was dismissed because of the dangers of elil. He understood how they felt, but all he wanted was to steal a few carrots for his children to eat, so they can try their very first flayrah and savor its delicious taste.

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't forget those stinking cats live there too," Kehaar reminded him, standing at the lion maned buck's side. Then he got an idea. "I got it! I get some big water food for the baby chicks, eh? You'll see!" Flapping his wings, he screeched and took to the skies, disappearing from sight.

"Do you think we should have told him that kittens don't eat 'big water' food?" asked Holly.

"Nah, he's a bit big for his beak." Bigwig shook his head.

"All of this talk of raiding reminds me of the story of El-ahrairah and Rowsby Woof," said Dandelion.

"Who's this Rowsby Woof?" Lily asked, puzzled.

"Oh, _right_... Well, that's always been a good thing about you, not knowing about the Prince of Rabbits and his ventures. Always got one rabbit who's up for a new tale or two..."

The rest of the baby rabbits lolloped over toward their adopted uncle, eager and excited to listen to this story. Lily listened quietly to this new tale of El-ahrairah. Dandelion cleared his throat before beginning. "One evening, El-ahrairah and his faithful Owsla captain, Rabscuttle, decided they'd like some cabbage to feed their people…"

_They knew the Man at the nearby farm had the most fragrant, mouthwatering cabbages that ever came out of the ground. Suffice it to say, they HAD to have it. However, there was just one touch of bother to contend with: the farmer's guard dog, Rowsby Woof. A brute of a beast, Rowsby Woof was quite the guard to deal with, as no rabbit had ever been brave enough or _mad_ enough to go near him… but El-ahrairah already figured how to get him to do all the work and then be rid of him. He had a simple plan, for as all rabbits know, dogs are simple beasts._

_He tucked his ears under his chins, so that he too looked like a dog, and grabbed a nearby birch twig before jumping up to get Rowsby Woof's attention, addressing the dog in a high voice, "Oh Rowsby Woof, it is I, your Fairy Wogdog."_

_Hearing the voice from behind, the dog turned around to face the small beast. At first, he assumed it was a rabbit, but upon seeing the Wogdog's ears short and stubby, he could only conclude it was a dog he saw. "I didn't know I had one," inquired Rowsby._

"_Well, you do," the Wogdog replied, "and I am here to grant you a great honor."_

"_Oh, really?"_

"_The Queen of Dogs, her Royal Majesty, Dripslobber, thinks you're the best cabbage guard who ever wagged his tail. She wants to give you a nice doggy treat!"_

_Delighted by the prospects of being granted such an honor by the Queen of all Dogs, he rolled over the ground with sheer joy. "My dreams have come true! How humbly I'll roll upon the ground for her~"_

"_That's a good boy~ The Queen will pass the crossroads this very night on her way to, err… the Great Barkandscratch, at the… elm grove."_

_Eager to meet with Queen Dripslobber herself, Rowsby began to dig and dig under the fence. "I'll get there faster than a bark!"_

"_Now, the Queen might be late, but you must wait, lest that treat go to that yappy terrier up the lane," warned his Wogdog._

_No sooner had Rowsby Woof popped out on the other side of the fence did a faint thought occur to him. "Who'll watch the garden while I'm gone?"_

"_I'm the Fairy Wogdog, remember? I'll take of everything in the garden. Everything. I promise."_

_Satisfied with the answer, he rushed over towards the hillside. "I'm coming, my Queen!"_

_The moment that dog was out of sight, El-ahrairah had untucked his ears as he called out, "Bye-bye, Rowsby Woof! Rabscuttle and I will look after your cabbages while you're gone!"_

_El-ahrairah now had the perfect tunnel built to the cabbage patch, and he didn't have to do any work himself…_

"…And so, El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle brought plenty of flayrah back to their warren for the prince's people, they all ate more flayrah than any ten rabbits, although El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle had a very long, slow trip home when bringing the cabbages home."

When Dandelion had ended the story, all of the baby rabbits fell on their backs on the grass, like adorable roly-poly balls of fluff, to which Lily thought it was so cute.

"Well told, Dandelion!" Fiver praised.

Melsa sat back up to ask the lion maned buck, "Uncle Bigwig, what's flayrah?"

"It's lettuce, carrots, turnips and other tender morsels that Man grows for himself," Bigwig explained to the young doe, then turning to Lily. "You see, appalling ignorance. Breaks my heart, it does."

"They're still so young," Lily answered.

"Come on, now. Silflay is over. Time to go in." Hyzenthlay instructed all of the kittens to go back inside their burrows, earning support from the rest of the mothers.

Clover gently ushered her children back inside the warren, adding, "It's time for your nap, little ones."

Just as the four mothers disappeared inside the main entrance, Lily couldn't help but overhear what the rabbits above ground had in store for their planned raid.

"If there's anything I learned as Captain of Owsla, it's that flayrah waits for no rabbit." Bigwig made his decision, determined to go through with it, for the sake of his children. "Who's coming?"

"Well, ready for a bit of adventure?" Hazel agreed, thinking it over and decided to accompany the lion maned buck to the farm.

"If that's what it takes to get some carrots, I suppose so." Fiver committed to join them.

Watching the two brothers teaming up with Bigwig to raid the farm, Hawkbit frowned at Dandelion and dryly commented, "You see, that's the trouble with your stories. Suddenly, _everyone_ wants to be El-ahrairah."

"Especially Bigwig," Hazel chuckled.

Momentarily hesitating, Lily summoned up her courage to ask her mate and the Chief Rabbit permission to go with them to Nuthanger farm. "Can I come with you to the farm?" she asked.

The rabbits froze for a second, as if their minds had gone tharn. Lily hoped one of them would vouch for her, but nobody said a word in her favor. Her eyes landed on Hazel, his expression hardening a bit.

"Lily, you're not allowed to leave the warren," he reminded her. "You have little ones to look after."

"One of the does can look after them until I come back."

"You heard Hazel: you're sticking close to home!" Bigwig ordered, raising his voice a bit. "Now then… move out!" he commanded to his and Hazel's small group, containing Fiver, Hawkbit, Silver and Blackavar.

Lily gave off a disappointed grunt, watching the bucks leaving the high hills. Neither Hazel nor Bigwig had changed their minds nor had they forgotten the ban. It wasn't fair to keep her locked up in the warren. She remembered Clover told her to consider no matter how rash or drastic their actions may seem, or how much she disagrees with them, they come from the love and care the rabbits held for her. But Clover perfectly understood that Hazel and Bigwig's decisions are wrong; even Hyzenthlay shared their agreement. A part of her wanted to stay behind and watch her babies, until a doe's voice brought her back to her earth.

"Trouble on the farm... One guard chained and a hunter freed... A cat's lust for death, they must heed..." Vilthuril's voice trailed off, her eyes locked up at the main entrance above as if in a trance for a moment before briefly coming back to reality.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked, concerned.

"I just had this vision of Fiver and the others at Nuthanger farm, there will be trouble for them just like Captain Holly said there would be." Vilthuril tried to dismiss her visions as fantasies. "I must have been imagining it, I don't even know if it's true or not."

"I doubt it." Lily never doubted Fiver's visions ever since the escape from Sandleford, and if Vilthuril was gifted with visions that could foresee danger, that means Hazel's band is heading for trouble at the farm. "Hey Villy, can I ask you to look after my little ones until I get back?"

"Uh, yes." Vilthuril nodded. "But, aren't you forbidden to leave the warren?"

"I know, but Hazel and the others will get themselves killed if I don't do something. Don't say anything to Holly or anyone else!" And with that, Lily took off down the hill and headed towards the farm, but kept her distance so not to give away her presence.


	23. Tale of a Mouse p2

When Lily arrived at the farm, she found Hazel and the others have already hidden in a mixture of brambles and bushes, keeping her distance behind the stone wall to hide her presence. She would be on the receiving end of an extremely long and harsh lecture for her disobedience. But if what Vilthuril predicted is true, then the Watership rabbits will find themselves in grave danger if she didn't do something. Besides, this could be her chance to prove to Hazel and Bigwig that she can take care of herself.

Inside the fenced garden, Duster was sleeping peacefully and not doing quite much at being a guard dog. No sign of Bob, meaning either he was tied up to the dog house around the corner or the humans took him on an outing or a trip to the vet, it doesn't matter. Neither Tabitha or Puss were lurking about, but Lily had to keep her guard up just in case.

"So, who gets to be the Fairy Wogdog?" Hawkbit asked, ready to put their plan into action.

"I'll have a go," volunteered Bigwig.

_Oh, this will be good. _Lily mused silently in her thoughts. _I doubt tricking a dog will work, which is why Henry's grandfather always said to face reality whenever he had a terrible day at school._

Bigwig cleared his throat to impersonate his very own Fairy Wogdog. He spoke in a loud high-pitched voice, "Oh Duster, it's me! Your Fairy Dog!"

The second she overheard the lion maned buck changed his voice to sound like a doe, or a lesbian buck, Lily tried not to burst out laughing. Bigwig sounded completely hilarious in a different voice. She placed a paw on her mouth, snickering, and wondered how he'd look disguised as a fairy. Her ears pricked up when she listened to Silver and Blackavar's chuckling. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who found Bigwig's feminine voice to be funny.

"_Wogdog_," corrected Hawkbit.

"Would _you_ rather do this?" Bigwig offered the idea to the dark grey buck.

"No, no, no, no. Carry on!" Hawkbit insisted, so not to get on his bad side.

Bigwig resumed back into imitation of the Fairy Wogdog, continuing to yell at the sleeping beauty. "Yoo-hoo! Hey, hairy face!" But the dog neither moved nor flinched, he continued to sleep on. "He's not cooperating at all," he spoke in his normal voice again.

"It occurs to me this dog isn't as smart as Rowsby Woof," Hazel said. "He can't understand us."

"Which makes fooling him a bit tricky," Fiver agreed.

"And tricking him a bit foolish," Hawkbit added.

"Maybe he's not entirely interested in chasing us," Blackavar suggested. "Instead of waking up, this could be our chance to sneak in by digging under the fence, grab as many carrots as we can, and get out of here before the humans discover us."

"That will do us no good at all," Silver refused, frowning. "Duster will hear us the second we sneak in."

"Still, I wonder why dogs can talk in the El-ahrairah stories, but not in real life," Fiver pondered.

"Maybe long ago, they _could_ talk," Hazel figured, not entirely sure himself. "Maybe they gave up all things _dog_ to stay by the hearth and serve Man."

_Or maybe it's famously known in the world that dogs serve as Man's best friend and loyal companions._ Lily rolled her eyes at their incompetence.

"Sad, really." Bigwig nodded.

The sound of a car horn alerted the rabbits, forcing them to retreat back in the bushes. The grumpy old farmer, Tom Cane, was leaving the house with a few heavy crates loaded in the back of his truck by the farmhands. Lily figured he could be driving to the market in town to deliver the crates for sale. Thinking of the market and the human town brought back another memory for her when Henry often brought Lily along in his backpack to the market whenever he traveled with his mother to go shopping.

"Alright, the Man's gone. Let's try talking to Duster again; see if he would let us in," Bigwig decided, lolloping toward the fence.

"I still believe it's a bad idea," Blackavar warned.

"Shows what you know!" Hawkbit snarked, ignoring the torn rabbit's worries.

Briefly, Hazel glared at the dark grey buck. Then he displayed a sympathetic smile toward Blackavar. Peering out from behind the wall, Lily kept her eyes peeled for both Bob and the cat, also convinced Blackavar's idea should have been taken seriously instead of the rabbits relying on a fairy tale to outwit a dog.

Concealing themselves behind a red wheelbarrow, the rabbits noticed the dog slightly awakened to scratch his ear and bite his shoulder, probably a flea bothering him. As Bigwig studied the fenced garden and the dog, he thought over a plan that could work. "I've got it!" As he spoke, his tail wagged and Lily found it adorable.

"Uh-oh," Fiver remarked apprehensively, "Bigwig's about to suggest something daring…"

"Oh dear." Hawkbit had a bad feeling about this.

"No listen, it's dead simple," Bigwig explained his plan. "I let him see me, get him barking mad, he comes after me, right under the fence..."

"And then he chases us all over the countryside," Hawkbit added, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "Dead simple, alright."

"We'll hide, until he wanders off, then in we go."

Almost as if sharing the same brain as Blackavar, Lily knew this was a corny and pathetic idea. It's bad enough to make a dog try to listen to a rabbit when he hates him, but to get it to chase a rabbit by digging under the fence and to pursue them until he catches a rabbit... and then, kills the rabbit. Luckily for her, Hazel voiced his doubts about the plan.

"I don't know, Bigwig," he said.

"Just watch and learn..." Bigwig approached the wired fence and raised his voice to a high volume to get the dog's attention. "HEY! You there... Dog!"

But Duster continued to roll around in the dirt like most dogs will do, ignoring the lion maned rabbit's shouts. Lily facepalmed, shaking her head. Suddenly, she heard a violent bark. Removing her paw, the doe realized that Duster had thrown himself against the fence and began barking viciously at the intruders.

Bigwig jumped back, startled. Although, being the bravest rabbit in the warren, he went up to the fence and tried to communicate with the dog. "Dig! Under the fence... Come and get me, fur-face!" But the dog refused to even listen, more concerned about shaking the fence and barking at the rabbits. "You aren't listening, are you?!" he shouted.

Duster paced the fence, trying to figure a way out so he could get to them. He continued to growl and bark.

"Loud _and_ dim; what a combination." Hawkbit made a joke.

"Do you want an 'I told you so'?" Blackavar stated, folding his arms together.

"Don't say another word!" Hawkbit snapped, mildly startling the torn rabbit.

Then, Duster backed up a few steps and came rushing back in attempt to jump over the fence. No success in succeeding as he fell and landed on the ground.

"It must be dreadful to be so thick," Fiver teased the dog over his weight and body fat.

"I wonder why Man likes them?" Silver wondered. "They're not very smart, are they?"

"Maybe I'll try to communicate." Hazel stepped forward boldly, using his paws to mimic a digger. "Dig... like this. Dig under fence."

But the dog stalked away for a second, then he resumed barking.

_Ugh! Can't they just take Blackavar's advice and..._ Lily's thoughts ended as soon as she heard a flower pot breaking.

The rabbits were too absorbed in mocking Duster, they didn't even hear the crash. Fortunately, Lily heard it. And when she saw the reason why, her face turned pale. That damn cat, Tabitha, slowly crept towards her unsuspecting prey on her silent paws. Fortunately, there was no sign of Puss. Maybe he was taken to a vet or kept inside the house, it didn't matter now. Her friends are in danger.

"_**LOOK OUT!**_" Lily screamed, not even caring if she got caught and punished for disobeying her friends.

This time, the rabbits heard the doe's cry and spotted the cat, who hissed in irritation that someone gave her away.

"Back to the brambles!" ordered Bigwig.

Everyone managed to escape from the cat, except Hazel nearly got caught by the feline by barely a whisker. Silver stayed behind to use his powerful back legs to kick the cat right in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. When everyone made it to the bushes, they breathed a big sigh of relief.

"Is everyone okay?" she asked.

"**WHAT IN FRITH'S NAME ARE YOU DOING HERE?!**" Bigwig bellowed, shockingly infuriated to find his mate had been following them, and the tone of his voice made Lily's ears fly back. "You're not allowed to leave the warren! Didn't you understand that?"

"Oh, why don't you just shut your big mouth and let me explain?!" reproached Lily, scowling. "Vilthuril had a vision that you would be in danger by the cat and the dog, so I had to come down here to save your furry bottoms!"

"Alright, no point in arguing!" Hazel shouted, breaking up the fight and to prevent the cat from discovering their hideout. "We'll discuss this later. Now, where's Fiver?" He looked around, seeing no trace of his brother.

There came a loud squeal, joined by a menacing hiss. The rabbits gasped, realizing Fiver had landed himself in hot water. The wheelbarrow had turned upside down and fell right on top of the runt when he fell back against it. Tabitha had tried to pounce on him again, but missed when the wheelbarrow tipped over, trapping Fiver inside.

"Oh, Frith in a bluff!" Hazel whispered, horrified.

Tabitha got briefly spooked by Duster's barking at her, mockingly hissing at the dog, before she started to squeeze a paw under the wheelbarrow, trying to claw her way in at him in hopes to kill him and make a meal out of him.

"This is a bit of a pickle," said Bigwig, concerned.

"El-ahrairah would be very proud of this little escapade," criticized Hawkbit, mimicking the Prince of Rabbits' disappointment. "'Oh, well done, you brilliant fellows,' he'd say."

"Perhaps we should have listened to Blackavar's idea," admitted Silver.

Blackavar blankly stared at him for a second before he answered, "What do you mean 'idea'?"

Silver couldn't believe his ears, assuming the torn rabbit must be joking. "Come on, you know what I mean. We didn't listen to your idea of sneaking inside the garden without alarming the dog and stealing all the carrots we can eat?"

"I assure you that I have no idea of what you're talking about!" Blackavar insisted, eyes shut tight and he turned away.

"Alright, what's the game, Blackavar?" Bigwig interrogated, scorning.

But Blackavar refused to answer his question, his expression tightened as he kept his attention on the cat holding Fiver captive. He could feel all eyes staring at him, determined to get him to spill the beans about his attitude. Hesitating, he reluctantly explained, "In Efrafa, if a rabbit gave advice and it wasn't accepted, he or she is to immediately forget it and adopt whatever was decided instead."

The rabbits gasped, stupefied.

"I'm guessing Woundwort is the culprit behind such an idea like that," Hawkbit deduced, feeling a bit guilty.

"Listen Blackavar..." Hazel spoke to him in a tone of fatherly assurance, "your idea was right from the beginning. We should have listened to you. I understand you still bare the scars of your past, physically and psychologically, but you're no longer in Efrafa. You live on Watership Down now. We are nothing like Woundwort, his Council, or his Owsla. The rabbits on Watership Down look out for each other and care for one another, like a family. Your advice shall be listened to if need be. I know it will take a long time for your scars to heal. I won't force you to speak your mind. That will be up to you."

As Blackavar drank in every kind word his Chief Rabbit spoke to him, he turned his attention toward him and the hint of a smile gradually appeared. The other rabbits smiled at him genuinely.

"And that's another thing..." Lily added, deciding to get straight to the point after listening to Hazel's speech as she spoke with calmness and reason, "What you just said is true, Hazel. Ever rabbit on Watership Down look out for each other and care about others, just like a real family. But the actions you take to protect me, drastic or unreasonable, it has gone too far. Clover and Hyzenthlay agreed with me. I know you are worried about me. You're afraid I'll get captured or killed by the Efrafans. But you can't just lock me up in my own home for something that _might_ or _might_ _not_ happen. Why, it could happen to _any_ other rabbit in the warren. When you made that decision to confine me to the warren, I felt like I truly was back in Efrafa again... a prisoner."

Hazel and Bigwig stayed silent, taking in every word of the doe's explanation. Neither one of them said a word. They knew she proved a point on something, for they recalled how Holly, Fiver, Lily and Bluebell got unexpectedly captured by the Efrafans when they left to request for does to join them. Anything could happen to either one of them or their friends back at the warren in an expected moment, good or bad. Especially when she mentioned her confinement to Watership Down was just like comparing Efrafa's controlling nature of imprisonment to their own home.

Bigwig felt an uneasy feeling in his stomach. Had he really been acting like an Efrafan hufsa enforcing her a prison instead of keeping his precious doe safe at their warren, along with their children? He gazed into her eyes, and he could see the disappointed and hurt lingered there. An old saying came back to him when he once told her that she will get along fine without him, back when he originally believed the Black Rabbit was coming for him, because Bigwig said himself that Lily has matured whilst living in the wild. A strong, smart and compassionate doe, he once said to her. He did want to keep her safe, but those words came back to haunt him. He opened his mouth to speak, until he got interrupted by a rustling in the brambles.

It was Hannah the mouse, she came rushing out to meet them, relieved they were alright, but very cross over their situation against a cat and a dog. "Are you rabbits moonstruck?! Cats and dogs everywhere and you come for carrots!"

"It's not as if we mean for this to happen!" Hazel exclaimed.

"Well, if it wasn't for me or your lady friend here..." the mouse gestured toward Lily, "that damn cat would've gotten you sooner."

"Wait! You're the one who made the flower pot smash?" Lily realized, her eyes widening.

"Yep! I was being chased by that cat," Hannah explained, "she cornered me in a bread compartment, I ate some bread to pass the time, then I heard your voices when I noticed the cat was gone." She worriedly glanced back to the wheelbarrow. "Fiver's trapped like a mouse. Now what are you gonna do?"

"Well, I've got a vague idea, but we have to let Fiver know what we're up to," Hazel said, coming up with a plan.

"I hope you're not asking for volunteers," Hawkbit stuttered.

"Hannah, go to the wheelbarrow to inform Fiver to dig his way out of the burrow and into the garden. Once Bigwig, Blackavar, Lily and I get to the other side of the garden, we dig under the fence and grab as many carrots as we can _without_ letting Duster know we're there..." instructed Hazel, noticing a pleased Blackavar was glad to know his idea is being put to good use after all, "and while we're doing that, it's up to Hawkbit and Silver to divert the cat."

"Nothing fancy now. Straight in and straight out," added Bigwig.

"I'm on it!" Silver saluted.

"Well, I hadn't planned on playing Bob-Stones with her," Hawkbit commented, annoyed.

"Remember, Hannah is counting on you!" Hazel reminded the two bucks.

"Fine, let's get on with it." Hawkbit hated being used as a distraction, but he had no choice, at least Silver was eager to do it.

"You sure you're up for this?" Hazel asked the mouse, slightly concerned.

"How else are you gonna get word to Fiver?" Hannah questioned. "Call him on ringing box?"

Hazel stared at her, confused by these words he never heard of before. "What's a 'ringing box'?"

"Oh! Rabbits... know nothing..." Hannah tusked, scoffing at his naivety.

"I think you mean a telephone," Lily corrected. "Humans use them to communicate with other humans that live far away from where they are. It makes a loud ringing noise to let them know someone is calling."

"How can they hear other humans calling if the box rings?" Bigwig inquired, puzzled by this strange human device his mate spoke of, and his question made Lily giggle cutely.

"At least _she_ knows more about it than you," sighed Hannah, impressed that one rabbit is aware of how the human household objects work, since she used to live among humans.

Afterword, Hannah bounded off toward the wheelbarrow. Next, Bigwig and Lily hopped off to the far-left side of the fenced garden, careful not to make any noises to alert the cat. Hazel signaled Hawkbit and Silver to make their ambush, charging forward as they attacked from behind and tackled the cat. Tabitha tumbled across the grass, but she managed to get back on her feet and growled angrily at her attackers. Silver wanted to stay for a fight, but Hawkbit shoved him forward to run for it. Suddenly, Tabitha heard the sound of someone digging. She turned around and spotted Hannah burying her way under the wheelbarrow to get to the imprisoned Fiver. The second Hannah made it, she felt a pair of sharp claws grasp at her tail and bottom.

"Fiver, help!" she cried.

Overhearing the mouse's distress, the alarmed Blackavar immediately tore out of the brambles and bushes, ignoring Hazel's calls for him to come back.

"Tail of a mouse... a sad tale indeed," Tabitha sneered, using her paw to drag Hannah out of the wheelbarrow.

"_EMBLEER PFEFFA_!" Blackavar shouted, throwing himself at the cat's body.

The impact of the cat's attacker struck the wheelbarrow, thus giving Hannah the chance to crawl underneath to find Fiver, listening to the commotion outside. With every ounce and strength he got, Blackavar tackled the cat. Despite living in Efrafa as a prisoner, Blackavar truly inherited the combat skills of an Owsla warrior. The two enemies engaged in a combat, clawing and biting each other. He slashed at the cat's shoulder, blood spilling as the cat shrieked in agony and pain.

"Blackavar, get back here!" Hazel called out to him.

Seeing the cat is badly maimed, Blackavar turned and ran back to the brambles. He half expected Hazel to scold him for his actions, but it never happened. Hazel just told him to be careful the next time he fought an enemy, understanding the reason for the torn rabbit's actions. The two bucks quietly lolloped to the other side of the fenced garden, the cat's attention still on the wheelbarrow, and found Bigwig digging a tunnel to get under the fence with Lily's assistance. Hawkbit and Silver reached the group in time.

"Well done, everyone," the Chief Rabbit praised.

"Yeah, I seem to have a talent for cat bumping," Hawkbit said, thoughtfully thinking of a cool reputation for bumping cats in combat.

"I wish I could've killed that cat when I had the chance," Silver grumbled.

"You wouldn't have the chance to take a cat out before it's finished," Blackavar stated.

"And Bigwig certainly has a talent for digging," Hawkbit added, teasing the lion maned buck from above the hole, "you're almost as good as a doe, O' Captain of Owsla!"

"Watch if I don't come up there and show you how good I am, mate!" Bigwig warned threateningly from deep within the tunnel, kicking some dirt in the dark grey buck's face, earning him an irked scowl.

"This is not the time for bickering, just keep digging!" Lily's voice chided in a strict motherly tone from inside the tunnel.

"Do they always argue like this?" Blackavar asked his chief rabbit.

"You have no idea." Hazel grinned, then he stole a glance at the awaiting cat and silent dog. "We might make El-ahrairah proud of us yet."

"Assuming cats and dogs keep behaving like cats and dogs," Hawkbit grunted, wiping the dirt off his face.

Inside the garden, the earth gave way to make a hole as Bigwig's head peaked out to make doubly sure he's inside the garden. He climbed out of the hole, then Lily came out after him. Without a moment to lose, the couple began to use their teeth to grab at the carrots and pulled them out of the dirt.

"Flayrah, anyone?" the two rabbits asked, their mouths full of carrots.

They hopped toward the wired fence, where they gave the carrots to Hazel and Silver by poking the carrots through the holes in the fence. When the carrots were taken and placed in a small pile, Bigwig and Lily rushed back to the carrot patch to collect more carrots.

Meanwhile, Fiver's head popped out of a newly created hole he dug up from his tunneling. He wasn't too far from the dog and cat, but the smell of cabbage interested him. Hannah crawled out of the hole next to him. Looking around, they saw the dog wasn't far off, whilst Bigwig and Lily continuing their job of carrot collecting. The two friends took their chance to make a run for it to reach their friends.

However, Duster caught the scent of rabbits nearby and he raised his ear to listen carefully. His suspicions proved correct. The intruders had somehow managed to get inside the garden. He spotted Fiver and Hannah, barking as he began to pursue them.

"Oh no!" Lily shouted, horrified when she saw the danger her friends were in.

Bigwig gasped as a carrot fell from his mouth. "Get a move on, Fiver!" Then he turned to Lily. "Get out of here, now!"

Nodding her head, Lily made sure first that Fiver and Hannah dove in head first into the hole as the mouse cried out, "Bigwig!" and then, Lily leapt inside the hole and scurried through the tunnel to climb out on to the surface.

While he gave the last carrot to Hazel through the fence, Bigwig headed back to the hole where he came in. Just as Duster caught up with him, Bigwig jumped into the hole, barely missing the dog's sharp teeth by an inch. The dog stuck his head inside the hole, barking. Then he turned on Hazel and the others, whom he noticed close by. Seeing plenty of empty carrot holes in the ground, Duster realized what the rabbits had done. Fuming, the dog made a mad dash for the fence. But the second he collided into the fence, it shook on impact and he fell backwards. Silver stuck his tongue, making a raspberry at the stupid beast. Hannah, Fiver, Lily and Bigwig emerged from the hole, shaking the dirt off their bodies. At that time, Duster got back up and he growled at them.

"Right then, let's not hang about. Everyone, grab a carrot or two." Bigwig instructed, anxious to get out of there.

The rabbits quickly picked up a carrot, hence the lion maned buck and his mate could only get eight since there are eight members in their group and Hannah carried the eighth carrot while riding on Bigwig's back, and rushed back to the brambles and bushes. Once they got there, everyone put down their carrots to catch their breath.

"Is everyone present and accounted for?" Lily inquired, hopefully.

"Not quite everyone." Silver collapsed to the ground to rest.

"Next time I get an urge for carrots, I'll talk myself out of it," Fiver spoke through panted breathing.

"Oh, come on, Fiver. Life gets dull without a little terror, isn't it?" Bigwig added, always being the adventurous type for a raid or a combat.

"Not likely."

"Hey, look!" Blackavar pointed his paw out to the garden, everyone followed the direction of his outstretched to what he was looking at.

Back inside the garden, Duster had just discovered the hole where Fiver came up in. The dog looked to see the hole was close enough to the wheelbarrow and the ever-patient Tabitha on the other side. Figuring it all out, the dog decided to dig up the hole so he can get out on the other side and teach that cat a lesson for mocking him.

"By Frith, I think he's _finally_ got it!" Hazel chuckled, astounded.

"Every dog has his day," Bigwig quoted an old famous saying, as Hannah climbed up on the top of his head for a better view.

As the rabbits watched, Tabitha stood frozen like a statue. She wondered if the rabbit or the mouse would ever get out of there since they can't hide under the wheelbarrow forever. Just then, the wheelbarrow began to move strangely. She assumed the foolish rabbit must be trying to come out, and into her awaiting claws.

"Come out, little long ears," she pursed, callously. "Tabitha's waiting."

Hawkbit covered his eyes so he couldn't watch, but Silver pried his ears aside so the dark grey buck can enjoy what is about to happen next. Suddenly the wheelbarrow lifted up and Duster came out of the hole, growling. Now he will have his revenge against the snarky cat.

"Oh my!" Tabitha cried, and with a frightened meow, she ran for her life as she retreated back to the farm house with the snarling and barking Duster right behind her.

Amused by the famous cat and dog chase, Hannah stuck her tongue to blow out a raspberry at the cat. Bigwig and Lily smiled at her, entertained by the tables turning on the cat and dog. When the cat turned a corner and the dog still in pursuit, the farmer's wife, Winnifred, came out of the house when she heard the commotion.

"Duster, how did you get out of the garden?!" Then she cried out when she found her broken flower pot and, seeing the cat tracks close to it, wrongly assumed Tabitha was to blame. "Tab, you blooming cat! Look what you did to my flower pot!"

The rabbits began to explode with laughter from the experience of outwitting a dog and a cat.

* * *

By the time the rabbits made it home back to Watership Down, the sun had set and the kittens were given their first supper of delicious carrots. Of course, Holly was quite disappointed in the others going to the farm against his wishes, but once Bigwig explained the entire story, he let it go for now. As for Hawkbit, he and Dandelion tried to share a carrot with Strawberry in attempts to win her over, but as it turns out, Strawberry politely yet sternly told them she was not romantically interested in either of them, but she hoped they can remain friends. Bluebell started to tease Hawkbit and Dandelion over their being dumped by the same doe they've been quarreling over, until the two bucks threatened to chase him off the down if he didn't shut his mouth.

"..And then, that dog rose up from the earth, like some monster mole sent by the Black Rabbit of Inlé, chasing after the cat just before the woman comes out of the farm house, blaming the cat and dog for destroying her flower pot and for digging holes in the garden," the lion maned buck concluded the story.

"He gave the cat quite a turn," Fiver chuckled.

"Now that damn cat knows how a mouse feels," Hannah added.

"Yes, indeed. More fun than Bob-Stones. Let's do it again soon, eh Hazel?" Bigwig hoped to plan another raid to the farm someday or sooner.

"Absolutely not!" Holly disapproved of the lion maned buck's suggestion. "Your impetuous ideas could put our rabbits in danger!"

Offended, Bigwig prepared to start an argument with his former boss until Hazel cut him off.

"We didn't come home to be criticized, Holly," he said. "We won't be planning another raid any time soon. I hope for a day of relaxation tomorrow. Let's finish these carrots first, shall we?"

Clover watched her three children sharing a few carrots while eating, until a particular question came to mind. "Bigwig, if you weren't raiding gardens at their age, however did you get to _be_ your age?" she questioned, but all Bigwig could do was smile and shrug his shoulders.

"He's pure of heart," Hawkbit said.

All of a sudden, Kehaar came circling and soaring over the crowd of rabbits before he was clear for landing and his feet made contact with the grass, he dropped a fish he recently caught from his trip to the ocean and gave it to the kittens as a gift.

"There! The best food of all!" the gull boasted proudly. "Makes baby chicks grow into big strong gulls. Try, it's good."

The kittens took one look and one whiff at this strange food offering, their little expressions frowned in disgust and resumed back to eating their carrots. Only Sandwort tried to bite the fish, but he instantly hated the taste and stuck his tongue, "Bleh!"

"Huh?" Kehaar grew puzzled by the kittens' rejection of his fish. "Okay, I try." Shrugging his shoulders, the gull grabbed the fish with his beak and tossed it in the air. He opened his beak, allowing the fish to fall into his mouth, and gulped it down in one bite. The meal satisfied his taste. "Ahhh… yeah, very good."

Everyone just laughed, including Kehaar.

As soon as nightfall had come, the kittens had to return to their burrows for bedtime. Everyone else went to sleep in their own burrows, Kehaar retired to his nest and Hannah returned to the farm. However, only three rabbits stayed awake in the Honeycomb for a private meeting.

"Lily, when I gave you an order for you never to leave the warren, I specifically ordered you to _obey_ it. But you disobeyed that order and followed us to Nuthanger farm!" Hazel was in the midst of giving the doe a stern lecture in her disobedience, though not entirely getting her ears chewed off like Bigwig got from the Threarah.

Lily stood in the middle of the chamber, her face twisted in hurt and anger. She knew this would happen, but there was nothing she could do about it. The doe expected the Chief Rabbit and the Captain of Owsla to give her some form of punishment for her disobedience, heart pounding at her chest as she waited for it.

"At first, I believed the only way to keep you safe was to confine you to the warren because I believed the Efrafans would find you and take you away from me again..." Bigwig spoke, his voice stern but grew softer, "but, I was wrong. If Vilthuril never foretold what would happen, we'd have been easy prey for a cat or a dog. I can see now that you are a strong-willed doe. My only regret is that it has taken today's events to convince me that I should let you have your freedom."

Lily wasn't sure if she heard them right, but her eyes widened as she stared at her mate in disbelief.

"You are right on one thing." Hazel lowered his head, displaying his voice of regret for his drastic decision to keep her locked up. "The Efrafans are not only after you, they are after all of us. And we don't know when they will strike next. I've also been so afraid to lose another friend. You're as valuable to this warren as much as everyone else is."

"So... does this mean I'm...?" Lily wanted to finish her question of what she hoped will come next.

"No longer forbidden to leave the warren?" Hazel finished for her, smiling when he made a new order. "Yes, but on _one_ condition: try to be careful and never wander too far from the down."

Lily felt her heart soar as she felt a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She was finally free, no longer a prisoner in her own home. No more will she constantly argue or bicker with the others over what she should do or not do in her life. She could go on more adventures with Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig and anyone else in the warren. Probably to steal more flayrah or to explore the rest of the outside world. If she had wings like Kehaar, she would fly right now. Instead, she happily replied, "Thank you." Lily threw her arms around Hazel, giving a quick squeeze, before she released him and gave Bigwig an affectionate nuzzle.

Bigwig returned the gesture with equal affection, before planting a tender kiss on her check. As Hazel retired to his burrow with his family in high spirits, Lily and Bigwig departed from the Honeycomb and retired to their burrow where their three kittens were sound asleep. The couple snuggled in carefully so not to wake them up and drifted off into a peaceful slumber.


	24. Lost!

Things hadn't been running smoothly at Efrafa since the night of the escape of the enslaved prisoners and the Watership rabbits. General Woundwort had cracked down hard, ordering every buck in his Owsla and Council to scour every meadow, marshland, forest or hills to find the outsiders. Luck was not on their side when they returned with no prisoners, often met with a harsh cuffing by the General. Now with a great number of their does escaped, the Efrafans were forced to steal the farm's flayrah themselves and carry the vegetables back to a storage burrow for safekeeping. Guards had to pull double-duty to keep watch over each other during silflay, with little to no relief from their posts. Worst of all, should anyone question Woundwort's methods of wasting the warren's Owsla to find the outsiders, their response was met by death at the claws and teeth of the General.

Early one morning in the Council's chamber, the tired and weary group of Ragwort, Avens, Bartsia, Sainfoin, Campion, Vervain and Orchis were discussing the events of that night. Bartsia, a very dark brown buck with dark green eyes, had replaced Charlock as the new Head of the Owslafa, right after the buck's death.

"Why are we even chasing down a bunch of outsiders, does, gulls and mice that never caused us any harm in the first place?" questioned Sainfoin.

"That's a good question," Campion agreed, admitting another interesting fact about two certain rabbits, "That one rabbit, Holly, and that hutch rabbit, Lily, actually seemed like a pair of decent sort of rabbits."

"That sounds suspiciously like treason coming from _you_," Vervain growled, his gaze fixed upon the brown buck.

"My loyalty is to Efrafa… and to General Woundwort," Campion retorted, defensively.

"Holly and those outsiders were responsible for the death of our friends, Charlock and Bugloss... including Chervil, Mallow, Gorse and Thistle, _Captain_! " Orchis interrupted, scorning. "And Lily was supposed to be _my_ doe, until _Thlayli_ showed up! Remember that, before you run your furry mouth!"

"And I'm your rank equal in this warren, Captain Orchis!" Campion shut him down, scowling angrily. "So, remember that before you run _yours_!"

"Regardless, Campion, my brother has a point." Vervain jumped in, preventing what could have been a fight over contrasting opinions regarding the outsiders. "Thlayli tricked us and stole our slaves! Not to mention, his doe tore off a piece of my ear." He gestured to the slightly healed up wound on his ear.

"Regardless that still doesn't change the fact the Thlayli deceived us, stole our does and was responsible for the deaths of multiple officers," Bartsia added.

"I'm still sore from the thrashing their bird gave me." Avens licked at a wound on his shoulder from where a certain gull attacked him.

"Listen, all of you," Ragwort irritatingly attempted to keep the peace in the group before they could argue, "we shouldn't be questioning anything the outsiders have done to humiliate us. We lost several officers and all of our does to this troublemakers. If my brother wants them destroyed, then we destroy them!"

"Look, it's not even about the outsiders," added Sainfoin. "We all know why we're here; It's Woundwort."

"Hold your tongue, Sainfoin!" hushed Vervain. "If Woundwort hears word of that kind of talk, you know he'll-"

At that moment, the General's voice sounded out at the top of the high platform, "Who called this meeting?" The bucks whirled around, startled, though none of them spoke. "I asked a question… _Who_ called... this meeting?" he repeated, asking the question more slowly.

"I did, sir," Campion spoke at last. "You've been in your burrow all day, and I didn't want to disturb you."

"So… since you've returned from last night's Wide Patrol, I assume you all brought me news about the outsiders and our does?" he asked with a light growl.

Campion looked to his fellow officers for a bit before addressing his Chief. "Well, sir, our Wide Patrols have only been able to catch their scent as far as halfway down the river. However, where they went from there, what you wanted to know… is uncertain."

"You're supposed to be the best that Efrafa has to offer, Campion. You and your fellow Captains… Have you all become _soft_ in your current position?"

Vervain interjected, of course, mostly to defend himself. "Of course not, General. But we only have so many bucks under our Marks for the Patrol, since you put the rest of the Owsla on high guard duty."

"And I'm afraid to say, morale has started to weaken under these conditions," Orchis added. "We've done all we could to remind them what we fight for, but-"

"Enough!" Woundwort thought for a moment. "So… the will of my captains remain strong, but the will of the soldiers, including my brother…" he fixed a hard stare at Ragwort before continuing, "Campion, gather the other officers and the guards," he requested. "Ragwort, bring in the Council as well. Bring them all in here… immediately."

Nodding, the two rabbits left the chamber to locate the rest of the bucks and ordered them to convene in the Council's chamber for a meeting with the General. A whole crowd had come to the chamber, eager to hear what their Chief Rabbit had to say. As they waited for the chief to come out, there was a great muttering and gossiping in the burrow, regarding the outsiders and suspicious rumors of the outsiders gifted with a strange power like Fiver or the ability to command elil to attack them, just like that seagull who assaulted them.

Sergeant Moss behind Campion's position leaned in to ask his superior, "What's going on, sir? The General hasn't called a meeting with all of us before."

"Not sure, Moss," Campion replied warily, "but pass this along to the other bucks: No one says a word unless I give the go-ahead. Don't want you or the others getting into unnecessary trouble."

Moss nodded and preceded to silently pass the order along down the ranks, while Campion and the other Captains and the Council looked to see the General approach the edge to oversee the bucks below him.

Woundwort gave a light growl before addressing them all. "I suppose you are all wondering I called you all in here in these dark times. Well… I've called this gathering to invite all within Efrafa to voice any concerns they may have. Here in Efrafa, we must make one another strong, but we cannot do that when others hide their weakness out of fear. So… should any of you have anything to say regarding my recent decisions… I invite them to step forward… and make yourself known."

Neither of the bucks spoke. A moment of silence passed as the officers and council members exchanged wary expressions.

"I..." Sainfoin started as he approached from his position, "I have concerns… sir."

The General looked down at the grey Sergeant who spoke first. "Sainfoin, is it? You supervise the Neck Mark of Efrafa. So… what concerns do you wish to share with the rest of us?"

"I…" He nearly lost his voice, about to hesitate when Campion silently ushered him to speak his mind. "I… I feel like, by sending us out to look for the outsiders, we're risking lives. These rabbits have a bird under their control, who knows what other kinds of elil they might have power over. Not to mention, one of their number has powerful visions. Things that we don't know about yet."

"Is that all?"

"No, sir. The system is breaking down. Since the escape, you've had us pull double-duty on half-rations, whether it is with the continuous patrols or searching for more does for our warren. It feels like, you're driving the lives of us all down to the ground. And I feel… any effort that vainly wastes effort and lives of our fellow rabbits… is not worth pursuing, sir."

At first, the General stared down at Sainfoin with a neutral expression before his right paw extended his claws, deeply scraping against rock. Suddenly, Woundwort leapt off the platform to slowly approach Sainfoin in a threatening manner while retaining his neutral face. "Are you _really_ concerned about the lives of your bucks? Or are you concerned about your _own_ life?" His presence forced Sainfoin to step back, frightening him. "Are you afraid, Sergeant?"

"M-M-Maybe... maybe I am afraid," Sainfoin croaked out in a weak voice.

No sooner he gave his answer did the General grab the buck by the scruff with his teeth, flinging him towards the plank overlooking the Deep Burrows. His action startled the rest of the bucks in the chamber.

"YOU _DISGUST_ ME!" Woundwort furiously berated, shoving him backward. "If you expire serving this warren, you should consider yourself _FORTUNATE_ to have the _GLORY_ of such a death!"

As he spoke, the General forced Sainfoin to step onto the plank, looking down into the pit below. It was quite a dangerous drop should the sergeant lose his balance and fall to what could be his death. Most of the bucks exchanged concerned or terrified faces as they watched the General slamming his massive paws on the plank, shaking it violently to intimidate the sergeant.

"Those of you not loyal to me invite outsiders to steal our does... Men to kill us... and elil to bring us the White Blindness..." Woundwort's massive paws shook the plank, forcibly demanding the sergeant for his loyalty, "those of you not loyal to me, _**hate**_ Efrafa... Are you loyal, Sergeant?"

"...Yes, sir." Sainfoin hung his head, and luckily for him the General had no intention to send him plummeting over the edge.

"Vervain, Orchis, are _either_ of you loyal to me?" Woundwort rushed over to the pair, his massive size and temper terrifying the two brothers.

"Of course, I am, sire. I know you always have Efrafa's best interests," insisted Vervain.

"The same for me! My loyalty is with you, always," agreed Orchis.

"And what about you, Campion?" asked Woundwort, turning to approach his best Captain.

"…I am, sir. My loyalty lies with Efrafa, and with you," Campion responded, confidently.

"As am I," Moss voiced his loyalty.

"Same here," agreed Bartsia.

"We are with you," Groundsel added.

"And myself, Marjoram and many others will stay loyal to you," said Avens.

"You know we are all loyal to you, Woundwort, and we never hate Efrafa, it's our home warren." Ragwort spoke softly, gazing sternly into the mismatched eyes of his brother.

"Good." Woundwort leaned him closer to his face, fuming, "I don't care if it takes one Frith or a thousand. You will find the outsiders who stole our does!" Turning to the rest of his bucks, he cruelly promised loudly, "And when you do, we will destroy their warren and leave _no_ trace of them on this earth! But until then, you must ravage whatever warren you find on your search and bring back prisoners to replace our slaves!" Climbing back up to the platform, he declared, "And to those of you who tremble in the wake of birds or foxes, or any of the thousand enemies of rabbits, I say this: in Efrafa, we run from no elil, we _ARE_ the elil!" Satisfied to have gotten his message through to them, the General gave an order to Campion and several others to go back out and find outsiders' warren.

* * *

Over the past several weeks, the kittens' colors started to change which told the adults of who belonged to whom. For Bigwig and Lily: Basil had ginger fur like his mother, green eyes and a tuft of dark brown fur on his head like his father. Aubretia's fur was a ginger color, her eyes a bright green shade, and dark brown fur hair that slightly resembled a short bob haircut. Violet was born with pale brown fur with a tint of purple that she took after from her father, inherited her mother's blue eyes, and dark brown fur hair that is designed to be like small pigtails by her mother.

For Hazel and Clover: Melsa was a hazel brown doe with a white underbelly and she had the most lovely blue eyes, a combination from both her parents. Sandwort's name said it all with light sand colored brown fur with dark brown tipped ears and green eyes. Gilia had light golden brown fur with patch of white in-between her nose and mouth, and green eyes. The last born Scabious had dark brown tipped ears with white fur and blue eyes.

For Fiver and Vilthuril: Threar very much resembled his father although he had dark brown tipped ears and a purple grape colored fur like his mother and heterochromia ididium eyes like his father (the left, reddish brown and the right, hazel green). Butterbur and Willow are the twin sisters, each inheriting their father's hazel colored fur and their mother's reddish brown eyes.

For Holly and Hyzenthlay: Nightshade was born with a bit of light brown fur (probably inherited from a deceased grandparent) and his father's red eyes and a dark brown triangle patch on his nose. Celandine took her mother's blue eyes and her fur a shade of mixed brownish grey. Lastly, the youngest Ash inherited his mother's blue eyes and the appearance of his fur seemed to be like an ash grey color.

Summer was usually hot and sticky, although these past few days were surprisingly warmer and cooler. Some of the rabbits were silflaying, others engaged in a game of tail tag, and Kehaar just doing what he normally would do; eat worms. But a small crowd had gathered around to watch Pipkin and Dandelion engaged in a game of Bob-Stones. Dandelion proved to be the ultimate champion, no matter how hard Pipkin tried his best.

"Bob-stone guess is one," guessed Pipkin.

Smirking, Dandelion lifted his paws to he was hiding two stones. "Oh, hard luck, Pipkin."

"Well, Dandelion, you've got the makings of a Bob-stone champion," Blackberry praised.

"He's only played us and we're not much good," said Pipkin.

"I'll take on all newcomers!" the blonde buck boasted. "Dandelion, the first Bob-stone Champion of Watership Down! That's quite a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

Bigwig rolled his eyes, giving Dandelion a playful shove, careful not to hurt him as the lion maned buck is quite bigger and stronger than him.

"Don't you agree?" Dandelion asked, getting back up on his feet.

"Well, you haven't tried your luck against me yet," Bigwig warned, smiling. "_I'm_ the Bob-Stone champion around here, and everyone knows it."

"Set them up, Bigwig! I'll tear you apart!"

"Tell you what, after Owsla exercises, we'll organize an official competition and settle this. What do you say?"

"Alright, knock it off, you lot!" Lily chuckled, breaking up the fight by placing herself between the two bucks. "You're going to give the kittens ideas, and the next thing you know, they'll be fighting each other."

"That's what young bucks are supposed to do, love," Bigwig boasted, proudly. "When they get older, they need to learn how to fight. And you'll see how good they'll be when I train them for their military exercises."

As the lion maned buck spoke, Hazel noticed a silent and shaken Hawkbit emerging from the warren. He was covered in dirt and dust, but his expression was blanched with terror, he couldn't hide it. "Hawkbit, are you alright?" the Chief Rabbit asked.

"Of course, why do you ask?" Hawkbit replied, slightly alarmed by her words.

"You look like you've just seen an elil," Bluebell guessed.

"Or the... the Black Rabbit of Inlé!" Dandelion added, absentmindedly.

Those words started a commotion as the rabbits began muttering or panicking, except the kittens were quite curious about this Black Rabbit of Inlé.

"Did he call your name Hawkbit?" Pipkin asked. "How did you escape?"

"Settle down, everyone!" Bigwig put an end to their commotion, finding the idea absurd. "Hawkbit hasn't seen the Black Rabbit, have you, Hawkbit?"

"Oh, no, no, no, no! Of course not." Hawkbit denied.

"Hawkbit, you're covered in dust and dirt," Fiver pointed out at the dark grey buck's filthy appearance.

Hawkbit examined his paw, behaving like it was no big deal. "Well, a little dirt and dust never hurt anyone, did it?" Then he shook himself to get rid of the filth. Dust and dirt flew everywhere as the rabbits coughed or waved their paws to keep it from spreading.

"Alright, let's get hopping!" Bigwig was eager to put an end to this nonsense and move on for Owsla exercises. "Wide Patrol formation! Move out!" he ordered.

"We'll be along in a minute, Bigwig," Hazel told him, as he glanced back worriedly at the still timid Hawkbit.

Nodding his head in understanding, Bigwig hopped away to order the rest of the bucks to move about and get started on their military exercises. Hazel and Fiver decided to stay behind to make sure if Hawkbit was okay. Lily trailed after Bigwig, concerned for her two young sons in combat against other kittens.

As far as she was concerned, Pipkin is still falling behind and Basil is less strong and more impulsive when it comes to combat against Sandwort or Nightshade, who participated very well and climbed his way to the top of his classes. Sandwort was more reckless in his training, determined to prove himself superior. Luckily for her, there was no combat training today. Only dodge and cover training. The doe kept a distance on a small boulder, watching her sons running from one direction to the next whilst their father gave out strict orders.

"Cut and run!" hollered Bigwig, watching his Owsla in training as they ran around in circles obeying his commands. "To the left! Right, left, other way, Pipkin!"

"Right, sir! I mean, yes sir!" Pipkin changed the direction he had been running in, accidently bumping head first into Basil along the way.

"Watch where you're going!" Basil growled, abruptly.

"Oi, lads!" shouted Dandelion, as he tripped over the two young bucks whom didn't see him when they were engrossed in their argument.

"Duck and cover!" Bigwig raised his voice to a high bellow, "DUCK AND COVER!" To his disappointment, his Owsla scrambled into the long tall grass, but to his dismay, their tails were sticking out, making Lily giggle as she found it adorable. "You call that cover?" he groaned. The lion maned buck decided to try a different tactic to get his Owsla in more focus. "Twice around the warren in top speed!" he instructed.

Some of the bucks raced around the warren two times, though their speed wasn't entirely good enough. Dandelion proved to be the fastest buck in the warren, but his legs hurt so much as much that he wanted to stop so badly. The others began to feel cramps in their legs as they slowed their running. Everyone collapsed face first to the grass, panting heavily, especially Basil and Pipkin. Lily felt sorry for her sons, especially for the other rabbits, to have such a strict teacher like Bigwig and forced to go through all that difficult military training. To her, it was more like a boot camp for rabbits.

"_This_ is top speed?" Bigwig scoffed, unimpressed by their lack of exercise.

"For a half-dead rabbit, yes," panted Dandelion. "I thought we were having a Bob-Stone challenge anyway."

"Come on, Bigwig, darling." Lily hopped over to check on Basil, making sure he was fine. "Give them a break for a while, you're pushing them too hard. And I think a Bob-Stone challenge is a good idea."

Reluctantly, though he could never refuse his mate's offer, Bigwig agreed. "Oh, all right. I'll get Hazel to set it up." Now that he mentioned it, he looked around and realized Hazel was nowhere in sight. "Where is he, anyway?" he wondered.

"I'm sure he's around here somewhere." Lily glanced at both sides of the grassy field, finding no sign or scent of her Chief Rabbit anywhere. "Try checking the warren."

The lion maned buck took her advice and lolloped back up the high hill to search for Hazel. Lily got the rest of the gang to join her back up a long climb to the warren. However, they met a concerned Bigwig, who said he couldn't find any trace of Hazel anywhere. The doe was very baffled upon hearing this, trying to figure out where had Hazel gone to.

Bigwig gave out orders to every rabbit of searching the down for Hazel. As it turns out, nobody has seen all morning and the rabbits began to feel anxious for the absence of their Chief Rabbit. Bigwig was lost in deep thought as he wondered why in the world has Hazel gone to. Blackberry and a few others returned to give him their report of their search.

"We haven't been able to find Hazel," she explained.

"And that's not the worse part..." Speedwell reported, "Fiver and Hawkbit are missing too."

Lily's heart frantically leapt in his throat. "What do you mean... How could this happen?!" she almost panicked, but Bigwig calmly kept her worries at ease.

"All three of them missing?" Dandelion started to freak out when he came to the wrong conclusion about whatever Hawkbit encountered in the deep tunnels. "It's the Black Rabbit; he always takes them in threes!"

"Yes, and twos!" added Pipkin.

"Or sometimes individually!" squeaked Bluebell.

"No one's missing!" Bigwig snarled, refusing to make wrong conclusions until he found evidence. "They're merely absent."

"I think it might be a good idea to search the burrows," suggested Strawberry.

"I don't want to search the burrows... not with the Black Rabbit down there," Dandelion murmured to the others.

"I'd worry more about _me_ here!" growled Bigwig.

Dandelion, Pipkin, Bluebell and the rest of the others bolted for the main entrance to the main beech tree.

Bigwig continued to command strict orders to all of the rabbits on Watership Down to search for their missing friends. Some of the does feared him for his temper, reminding them of the guards back in Efrafa, but he never cuffed them or scolded them whenever they came back with nothing. Lily had to constantly keep reminding them that her mate is nothing like an Efrafan, secretly irked at his attitude. The kittens wanted to help the adults, but had been told by their parents to stay inside their burrows with a few babysitting does, concerned that if one of the kittens wandered off, an elil will pick them off easily.

"Report!" demanded Bigwig, waiting on the top of a small hilltop.

"There's just no sign of them, Bigwig," reported Blackberry.

"We searched everywhere, Thlayli," Holly added, "but we can't seem to find them."

"Then they have to be underground, it's the only explanation," Bigwig decided, before he gave out different orders to the rabbits, "Blackberry, Strawberry, Hyzenthlay, Clover and the rest of the does, search the furthest burrows. Lily and I will take the middle. Pipkin, Dandelion and Bluebell will look on either side. Everyone else, stay above ground in case Hazel and the others return. Holly will take over above ground."

"I don't want to go down there," Dandelion whispered to a few of his companions.

"Neither do I," agreed Pipkin.

"But I suppose we have to," Bluebell quivered.

"I suppose so..." Pipkin sighed.

"But I don't want to!" protested Dandelion.

"Let's try to stay up here in case Hazel-" Bluebell didn't have the time to finish.

"MOVE IT!" Bigwig roared, fed up with their nonsense over superstitious fears, as he watched the three cowardly rabbits hop away.

All day long, Bigwig and Lily and the others frantically scoured the burrows inside and out, but came back empty handed, or rather pawed. The group met up in the Honeycomb to report what they know so far. Bigwig was close to unleashing his temper, angered and frightened, for the safety of his friends and family. He managed to keep his temper in check though. Lily suspected something must be wrong with her mate, but he didn't confine in her of his fears.

"Anything?" the lion maned buck asked.

"Not yet," Blackberry replied.

"We still can't find them and I'm getting worried," Clover sighed, dejectedly. "What about you, Bigwig? Aren't you worried?"

"I am," Bigwig explained, rather calmly. "But we can't let emotions get in the way." Then he noticed Bluebell, Dandelion and Pipkin standing timidly at the corner of the chamber, as if trying to remain unseen and unheard. "What are you lot doing?"

"Oh, nothing..." Dandelion acted naively innocent.

"Then get to work!" Bigwig was losing his patience with the three rabbits.

"There's no point on terrifying them!" Lily scowled as she defended the trio. "They're scared to death! Couldn't you at least lighten up a little bit?"

"Can we go together?" Pipkin asked, hopefully.

"Yeah, just in case we see the Black Rabbit or something... then maybe we won't disappear like Hazel and the others..." Bluebell figured, rather pathetically.

"Look, I know you're afraid... use that fear. It'll make you alert... vigilant. Fear can make you _stronger_!" Bigwig advised, after rolling his eyes at their timid nature, he realized himself that was what he had been doing all along: using his own fear of Hazel and the others' safety to make himself stronger.

"It can?" all three bucks gasped, amazed.

"Yes!"

"But can we still go together?" pleaded Pipkin.

"Yes, just go!" wailed Bigwig, almost ready to get angry.

The three rabbits sighed in relief and exchanged smiles as they hopped deep into the darkened burrows with a few others.

"At least you're calming down now," Lily commented.

Just then, the couple heard Kehaar's squawking voice call out from the exit, "Pigvig, I have much important military information!"

"I'll be right up!" the lion maned buck yelled toward the exit as Lily lolloped up to the outside warren, then turned to Clover, "Take over down here, will you?"

"Of course," Clover understood, but frowned sadly. "But I don't think Hazel and the others are down here."

Sighing deeply, Bigwig shut his eyes as he lowered his head glumly. He couldn't find his friends, neither underground or above ground. The thought of elil snatching them off without his knowledge and tearing their bodies to pieces stung his insides like a thousand bees. He tried to brush these thoughts out of his mind as he made it out of the warren to meet up with the excited gull.

"Pigvig, I see Efrafan rabbits, I see them!" Kehaar declared.

"Where?" the lion maned buck demanded, impatiently.

"Pretty close... and when they see me, they hide! I think those Efrafans be very much scared of Kehaar!"

"Well, you did scare the wits out of them, that's good for something," Lily smiled.

"Or maybe they didn't want you to see something-" And then, it hit Bigwig like a lightning bolt. "Of course, a sensible explanation!"

"What do you mean?" Kehaar and Lily gaped in union, bewildered.

"I mean there's a good chance they have captured Hazel and the others, come on!" Bigwig tore across the small field, racing like a mad jack rabbit when his life is in danger. That had to be the true explanation for the disappearance of his friends; Efrafan Owsla had captured them.

"Slow down, Bigwig!" Lily panted, trying to catch up to him. "I'm coming, too!"

Kehaar flew high above him, keeping close to the lion maned buck. "Good. Then what do we do?"

"They'll be heading back to Efrafa!" Bigwig replied, determined. "We're going after them!"

"Ohh, not so good..."

Almost voicing Kehaar's thoughts, Lily knew the idea of confronting a few Efrafan soldiers was truly a bad idea. Second, Bigwig's bossy and fearful attitude frightened her. Who knows what will happen if they confront the Efrafans? Is Bigwig going to commit coldblooded murder when he finds the Efrafans?

Thanks to Kehaar, the gull found a short cut to Efrafa. The two rabbits rushed over train tracks... a field where a scarecrow stood out amongst the grain... a small brook with a wooden plank for a bridge to cross over... and finally came to the half-broken stone bridge that marked the sign of Efrafan territory. Two malicious guards stood out on the bridge, keeping watch for intruders.

"So, what do we do now?" Kehaar whispered, eyeing the guards anxiously.

"Find out if they got Hazel and the others," replied Bigwig.

"How do we do that?"

"Ask them."

"ASK THEM?!" enticed Lily, stupefied by such an action. "Bigwig, no!" She tried to stop him, but the lion maned buck ignored her as he warned her to stay out of sight, then he purposely exposed his presence to the guards.

"I hear you lot are looking for me... the name's Thlayli... and I'm waiting!" Bigwig's green eyes glowered with malice, the soul inside of him boiling with rage and fury. He was ready to fight. Ready to kill. Ready for blood.

His words caught the attention of the guards. When the intruder revealed his name, the two guards growled sinisterly and approached him in a threatening manner. Their claws extended and their teeth bared, though not as terrifying as elil, but still all the more menacing.

"Bigwig is going to get himself killed!" Lily grumbled, but grew petrified when she noticed the burning rage in her mate's eyes.

"Oh, Pigvig, you are one much crazy rabbit," agreed Kehaar.

One of the guards snarled in a raspy voice, "You betrayed Efrafa... insulted General Woundwort... and stole our people. We're taking you in." He spotted the lion maned buck's mate and the gull behind the bridge and a cruel sneer left his mouth, "And that doe who dared attacked Captain Vervain will be executed!"

Bigwig's breath got caught in his throat. He regretted bringing his mate along, yet Lily proved to be more independent than he realized. But there is no way in hell the lion maned buck was going to let these monsters harm her. First off, he stared at the guards with an eerily calm voice, "If you're going to fight, you should just do it."

In a flash, Bigwig released his famous battle cry as lunged for the guards. His impeccable strength knocked the wind right out of the two larger rabbits. His paws tightly clutched at their necks, claws engraved at their throats and ready to slit them open and draw blood at any second now. Kehaar's eyes widened. Lily panicked, fearing her mate was going to commit the crime of murder.

"Unless you want to meet the Black Rabbit of Inlé, you'll keep still! Now..." Bigwig breathed in and out heavily, "were any outsiders taken prisoner?"

"No... no one..." the guard choked out through a hoarse voice.

"You wouldn't fib to old Thlayli now, would you?"

"No... Owsla's honor..."

Lily couldn't take it any longer. She watched her mate raise his arm, believing he was about to fulfill his secret promise of slaughtering the Efrafan rabbits. She had to stop him. "**BIGWIG, NO!**" she cried, making him glance back in her direction. "I don't know what's going through your mind, but if you kill them, you're no better than they are... please, don't do this! Look at yourself, you're behaving just like back when the _corvil_ attacked us!"

Though reluctant, Bigwig felt her words pierce through his core as he slowly processed over what she told him. Gazing at the two guards in his grasp, he could see the fear in their eyes and it brought back a memory for him: Lily hidden beneath the headstones, frightened by his murderous act of slaying the crow back in the chapel and avoiding his touch when he tried to comfort her. He only committed it to protect her, but she viewed him as a monster. His heart sank when the truth kicked him in the gut. "I'm sorry, lass," he sincerely apologized. At last, he withdrew and allowed the agitated guards to gasp for air.

"Run along, chaps! Tell Woundwort his Owsla isn't worth an acorn," Bigwig warned, coldly.

And with that, the two rabbits left the bridge and the seagull took to the sky. However, they had not gone a few miles when the Efrafan Wide Patrol emerged out of the tall grass. Bigwig and Lily halted in their tracks, petrified. There stood Campion, Vervain and a few other soldiers accompanied them. At first, the soldiers grew shocked at finding them here unexpectedly, until black scowls presented themselves on their faces.

"Fancy meeting you here," teased Bigwig, maintaining a cool face before he bolted out of there, pushing Lily forward to run for it.

"TAKE THEM!" ordered Vervain.

The two rabbits tore across the field faster than El-ahrairah or any rabbit in the world. The Owsla right on their tails, dogging their footsteps and their every move. Kehaar gasped, having seen his friends were in danger and turned back to rescue them. Bigwig and Lily made it to the river, finding an old log and hurriedly concealed themselves behind it. They waited for the Efrafans to pass them over their heads. Bigwig hovered his larger body over Lily's smaller form to shield her, just in case. Too bad for them cause Vervain paused to rest at the top of the log.

"Stay on the bank! They're trapped between us and the river!" the bearded buck shouted.

"Please don't look down..." Bigwig quietly prayed, his pulse hammering against his chest that even Lily could feel it on her head.

Unfortunately, Vervain looked down and found the two fugitives, forcing the couple to run for their lives. "This way!" he yelled, gesturing to the Owsla that he found their prey.

Before Vervain could go after them, a sharp squawk echoed out of nowhere as Kehaar swooped down and struck the dark rabbit from the back of the head. The impact knocked Vervain off the log.

"Leave them alone, ugly face!" Kehaar shouted.

This distraction provided enough for Bigwig and Lily to head for the river bank, finding no place to go and no place to hide. Their legs began to hurt and the cramps were starting to kick in. Bigwig never gave up, nor did he want to stop running permanently. On the other hand, Lily wanted to stop. She could hardly breathe and she could barely stand on all four legs.

"Don't wait for me," she panted, close to a collapse.

"Run or I'll slap your ears off!" he commanded, refusing to abandon her as he headbutting the doe on the behind to force her to keep going.

The couple lost their footing on the slippery, wet bank and the water created a tremendous splash on impact of their fall. Bigwig had to carry an exhausted Lily on his back as he paddled his arms and legs. Frantically, he looked around for a place to hide from the enemy. There seemed to be no escape from their pursuers until...

"Bigwig! Lily! In here!" a familiar distant voice came from behind a wall of foliage willow vines.

Confused, Bigwig parted the curtain of willow aside and, to his delight, discovered Hawkbit waving at him to come inside a tunnel he popped out from. With Lily on his back, the lion maned buck entered the tunnel and followed Hawkbit deeper into the tunnel. Relief swept over him when he escaped his pursuers at last.

Outside on the river bank, the Efrafan Owsla arrived and searched for the runaways. They sniffed the ground, finding the scent leading to the edge of the bank where the scent was lost. Vervain noticed the willow vines and peeked behind the green curtain, but he found nothing and what he assumed to be a tunnel that is too small for a rabbit to squeeze in.

"We lost them," said Campion.

"Find them!" demanded Vervain, leaving the only place he could have investigated to find the fugitives.

Meanwhile, Bigwig ventured deeper inside the tunnel as he carried his mate, finding whom he had been searching for all day. "Hazel? Fiver!" he gasped, smiling with extreme relief.

"You found them?!" Lily's eyes shot open and, no longer exhausted, shot up and scrambled off Bigwig's back, rushing over to embrace the two brothers, startling them for a brief second. When she saw Hawkbit, she gave him a hug that made the flattered dark grey rabbit's face turn red. "I was so worried about all of you! Where have you guys been?"

"It's a long story," Hazel said, equally pleased to see his friends.

Bigwig kept his ears open as he listened carefully for the enemy patrol. So far, nobody came in after them. He knew they were safe. "They're moving on," he reported.

"We'll wait here until dark then make our way home," advised Hazel.

"I think that's a good idea," Lily agreed, laying down to get plenty of rest. "My legs are killing me, and I hope to never run that fast again."

Looking around at this strange cavern he was in, Bigwig wondered out loud, "What is this place and how did you manage to find it?"

Hawkbit glanced in Fiver's direction, giving him a smile of renewed faith as he said, "We just had to believe hard enough."

The rabbits told Bigwig and Lily of their adventures in the underground cavern and tunnels they discovered after plummeting into a gaping hole that was created by a supposed earthquake, the same area where Hawkbit claimed to have seen the Black Rabbit and ran off when the earthquake started. Bigwig and Lily were escorted to the cavern where stalactites hung down from the ceiling and a small ledge overlooking a tiny waterfall that ran into a stream, impressing the couple deeply.

"Frith hides beauty in the strangest of places," Bigwig awed. "I guess we're the first to see this."

"Frith wouldn't make all of this just for us, would he?" Lily asked, amazed.

"He made the rest of the world for us, didn't he?" Fiver reminded her.

"If we were meant to see this, then he must want us to tell about it," Hawkbit said, in a voice filled with faith that Lily never heard of, but it made her happy.

Night had come when the five rabbits returned to the high hills. A joyful and relieved Kehaar greeted them, especially the kittens as they were so thrilled to see their parents come home. Nuzzles and snuggles were exchanged with a lot of love and affection. The seagull explained that all of the rabbits had spent the entire day digging their way to the forbidden cavern. Hazel and the others ventured into the abandoned burrow where they found their friends down below in the cavern, alerting the rabbits of their presence to ease their concerns and gave them quite a surprise of the Chief Rabbit's unexpected homecoming. Lily and the others couldn't stop laughing at learning the so-called Black Rabbit that Hawkbit spotted was actually a shadow, but at least Pipkin and Dandelion and Bluebell got over their fears of shadows.

Sometime later, some of the rabbits decided to stay in the cavern to play a game of Bob-stones, just as Bigwig had promised Dandelion earlier this morning. The kittens had to retire to their burrows for bedtime, and the other rabbits went to sleep.

"Come on, Dandelion!" encouraged Hazel.

"Yeah, come on! Get this one and you win!" Hawkbit cheered him on.

"You know..." Fiver said to a relaxing Lily, who gave herself a grooming to keep herself busy, "not long ago, you and I felt alone and terrified... me, down here... and you, scared for Bigwig. And now, this cavern is full of life as much as our children are full of life... they are all part of our warren."

"Exactly! And we have a secret way to the heart of Efrafa," Lily added, understanding his words rang true.

"Funny how things turned out," Hazel chuckled.

A confident Dandelion thought hard and long, then he made his guess. "Bob-stone guess is one!"

When Bigwig lifted his paw to reveal a stone, he announced, "It looks like we have a winner!"

"Congratulations, Dandelion!" Hazel exclaimed. "The first Bob-Stone Champion of Watership Down!"

Everyone cheered and congratulated Dandelion for winning the match as the blonde buck did a little victory dance that amused the rabbits. Lily relished in the moment, watching her friends and family celebrating together, reminding her of another time when Henry's father often cheered at the couch when his favorite sports team won a big game. She began to frown sadly, missing Henry and those old times lingered longer. Then a paw brushed against her shoulder, bringing her attention back to reality. Pipkin ushered her to join in, convincing her to give her first try at Bob-Stones. Though Lily didn't have much luck against Dandelion, she was glad to have participated in such an exciting game.

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope you have enjoyed my story so far, but I want to give you all a head's up that I won't be writing or publishing more chapters because I'm going on a vacation to visit relatives next week. I won't be back until early July. I hope to write more chapters of Watership Down when I come home, so you can read more of Lily's adventures with her family and friends. Wish me luck:)**


	25. Friends & Enemy p1

_**Author's note: Hi, everyone! I came back last week on a Tuesday, but we had to unpack and rest a lot from a long flight and a long drive home. I even had to attend my program these last few days, and begin work on a new chapter. At first, I wanted to make it a full time chapter. But it was too long, so I decided to go for a two part chapter.**_

_**Read and enjoy it!**_

* * *

The sun had set on a chilly summer evening as a small group of the rabbits had ventured further away to the bottom hill of the down to either relax, silflay, or engaged in lessons from Holly and Blackavar to help two of Clover's friends learn the ways of surviving in the wild after a long life of living imprisoned inside a hutch. Bigwig and Lily lay beside each other, snuggling or cuddling each other in a playful affectionate manner. Hawkbit often jokingly scolded the two lovers to go someplace private to mate, earning him a reprimanding scowl from Bigwig, whilst he and Dandelion nibbled some of the grass. Taking Hawkbit's advice, Lily escorted Bigwig deep inside the long grass for a private moment of another passionate mating, although their moaning or grunting had to be quieted to a lower volume so not to embarrass themselves in front of their friends.

"It just doesn't get much better than this now, does it?" asked Dandelion.

"Well, we could be chomping up carrots," commented Hawkbit.

"Brilliant weather... not a fox or a hawk in sight... days like this don't come along every day," the blonde buck rambled on and on, but Hawkbit paid no attention to him.

Nearby, Haystack and Boxwood were seated around Blackavar, who stood on a rock, and Holly, who lay on the grass beside him, as the torn dark rabbit continued his lesson, this time it regarding the sense of smell.

"In a hutch, it doesn't have much use, but a keen sense of smell can keep you out of danger," Blackavar instructed, his attention focused on the two hutch-does. "Go on. Tell me what you can smell right now."

Haystack volunteered to go first, sniffing the air. "I can smell chestnuts."

"Alright, what else?" Blackavar nodded.

The doe's nose whiffed as she caught another scent. "Err... I smell rabbits..." It felt strange to Haystack that this scent was quite new and unfamiliar. "Lots of strange rabbits."

Intrigued, Holly stood back up as both he and Blackavar started to smell the atmosphere around them to find whatever strange rabbits are close by. Their ears cocked at the sound of pattering feet. Their eyes widened in horror upon recognizing the sound and the scent. It could only mean one thing: Efrafa.

"Oh no," gasped Blackavar.

"Hide, quickly!" Holly ordered, remaining calm.

The two does hid themselves within the long grass, mildly confusing Hawkbit and Dandelion at their actions.

"Ohh, I guess that's the trouble with you, Holly," scolded Dandelion, "you can't see the simple beauty in a-"

"Efrafan patrol!" the Owsla captain barked, cutting him off. "GET DOWN, NOW!"

Dandelion and Hawkbit gasped, then obeyed his commands to hide in the long grass. Bigwig and Lily scarcely had enough time to be alerted of the oncoming danger, when Vervain's sharp voice rung out, startling the couple. They crept close beside Holly and the others, assuring them of their being aware of the enemy's presence. The rabbits exchanged nervous glances, wondering how could the Efrafans expand their patrol this further, probably since Bigwig and Lily had escaped from their clutches whilst searching for Hazel, Fiver and Hawkbit when the trio had been trapped beneath the cavern, the Efrafans must have assumed their warren is nearby.

Peering through the thick blades of grass, the Watership rabbits saw the Efrafan wide patrol passing through the area. Boxwood became squeamish at their massive size and intimidating appearances, but Hawkbit calmed her down and told her to remain quiet. Everyone held their breath, anxiously hoping the Efrafan Owsla won't locate their hiding spots or their warren.

The Efrafan patrol consisted of Campion, Vervain, Moss and another buck all on alert as they scoured the area, searching for any signs of the outsiders to find and track them down to their warren.

"Something?" Campion inquired, noticing his corporal's nose twitching.

"I'm not sure, sir," Moss replied, shaking his head.

But their conversation was rudely interrupted by Vervain snarling and disciplining the rabbit by cuffing him over the forehead, as the unfortunate rabbit cowered and trembled, he had grown tired by the restless patrol. For a brief second, Lily felt sympathy for the rabbit and angered by Vervain's actions.

"You'll rest when I _tell_ you to and not before!" Vervain growled.

"He's exhausted, Vervain!" Luckily, Campion came to poor rabbit's defense.

"He's Owsla, and he better _act_ like it," Vervain huffed. "Right, move out!" He rushed out further ahead.

Turning back to the exhausted rabbit, Campion spoke encouragingly, "Come on, lad. You can make it."

Nodding, the rabbit stood back up on his feet as he and Moss joined after him and Vervain to continue the search. For another brief second, Lily smiled in admiration for Campion's resourcefulness. If she could, she would've had the chance to talk Campion into joining her warren, if only he wasn't living in Efrafa.

As soon as the Efrafan patrol had gone out of their sights, Bigwig silently ordered, "Let's go, quietly now!"

The Watership rabbits darted out of the long grass and quickly climbed back up to the top of the hill. They knew now the Efrafans were at this point getting too close at locating their warren and to the point of destroying every rabbit living here.

Arriving back inside the Honeycomb's chamber, Bigwig reported to Hazel about their near encounter with the Efrafan Owsla. This forced Hazel to drastic action and ensure that every buck, doe and kitten must be confined to the warren until something was done to draw the enemy away from the high hills. To Lily, it felt like all of the rabbits were being imprisoned rather than kept safe inside their burrows.

"We're lucky they hadn't found us," sighed Holly.

"Woundwort's patrols are getting closer all the time," Fiver worried.

"If the wind had shifted, they would have been onto us," added Hawkbit, before he stole a smirk at the lion buck and his mate. "Or they would have been onto these two love bunnies mating."

Bigwig growled as he cast a scorning frown at the gray buck, then he exclaimed, "It's getting to the point where it's not safe to go outside! We got to do something, Hazel. We can't just sit up here, hoping the Efrafans won't find us."

"And you can't just keep all of the rabbits confined to the warren whenever the Efrafans are nearby, it gets overcrowded and some of them are complaining," said Lily, gesturing toward Hyzenthlay ending an argument between a few does over who gets to sit in which open space.

"You're right." Hazel agreed, watching the conflict with a deep sight. "We need to take more direct action." This idea, of course, surprised some of the rabbits present, as Hazel has always suggested more indirect, clever strategies against Efrafa, while Bigwig was pleased at finally getting some action against those Efrafans.

"All right, then! Some raids maybe?" Bigwig suggested, hopefully. "The old surprise attack might make them back up a bit."

Blackavar shook his head disapprovingly at the lion buck's idea. "You don't know the Efrafans, they never give up. Even if we did surprise them with an attack, they'll suspect we live here and plan a raid on our warren."

"Exactly!" Hazel said, understanding Blackavar's warning. "Woundwort's Owsla are bigger _and_ stronger than us."

"Though they're not looking their best," Holly pointed out, remembering how exhausted one of the was during their search. "I get the feeling that Woundwort is driving them too hard."

"Captain Holly is right," Dandelion said. "They're not, how would you say, running at top speed these days."

"But still, they outnumber us."

"What's the plan then?" Bigwig inquired. If they weren't going to fight, what _could_ they do?

Hazel thought deeply for a moment. "We must learn from El-ahrairah."

"Oh, you mean use trickery and cunning." This caught Bigwig's interest as he smirked. "Well, all right, out with it."

"We lay false trails and set clues to lead the Efrafan scouts away from us. It'll mean a lot of work."

"Doesn't it _always_?" Dandelion asked rhetorically as he scratched his ears with his foot.

* * *

The next morning, ten rabbits in their group woke up bright and early to start their plan. Hazel, Bigwig, Fiver, Lily, Dandelion, Hawkbit, Bluebell, Silver, Holly and Blackavar left the warren and headed straight for the forest, setting up false tracks to draw the Efrafans away. They laid their foot prints on multiple different trails in the wood, one of them included a small riverbank where Fiver had a brief encounter with a turtle. When everyone had completed their mission, the rabbits met up at the sandy shore of the bank.

"It's hard work, that is," sighed Dandelion.

"But hopefully, it's worth it," added Silver.

"Well, _I_ hope the Efrafans appreciate all the trouble it takes to lead them in circles," said Hawkbit.

_"Get a move on!"_ Vervain's voice was not far from the river, and a bird flew away when the intruders' presence alarmed it.

"Take cover, quickly!" ordered Holly.

The gang took cover in the long grass, concealing their forms and remained frozen, so not to make a sound nor a movement... however, they were dangerously close to a large bee's nest hive hidden beneath a rock.

Efrafan Owsla arrived not long after, they were only a few feet away across the riverbank. The Owsla did not see Hazel or his band, most of them were more concerned about taking a drink from the river. One of the officers bent his head forward to take a drink from the cool fresh water.

"Officers first, thick-ears!" Vervain snarled, scorning at the buck.

"At ease!" Campion arrived on the scene, irked at Vervain's bullying and stood up for the thirsty officer. "Take your drinks."

The rest of the officers, Moss included, lolloped toward the riverbank to earn their refreshed drinks. Once again, Lily smiled warmly at Campion treating his Owsla more fairly than the abusive Vervain.

Vervain had quite enough of Campion deliberately taking over his authority as he approached the brown buck, scorning, "Do you enjoy undermining my authority?"

"Do _you_ enjoy abusing it?" rebuked Campion, coldly.

"We'd better find some sign of Thlayli and his outsiders or Woundwort will have us out here _forever_!"

"Not questioning his judgement, are you?"

"Of course not. I wouldn't dare."

In that instant, the rock that Fiver sat upon gave way due to his weight and landed on the nest. Disturbed, the bees flew out of their hive, buzzing loudly and angrily. Some of the Watership rabbits came close to freaking out, but Hazel whispered "Nobody move a muscle," and no one dared disobey him in fear of giving away their hideout. One bee landed on Dandelion's nose, but he kept still until it flew off. Bluebell shut his eyes tightly, yet he flicked his left ear when a bee barely touched it.

Nearby, the Efrafan Owsla grew alarmed by the presence of bees and overreacted, starting to run off for cover, except for Campion and Vervain.

"Just a bunch of bees," Vervain groaned, before deciding their break is over. "Right, we've still got flayrah to find. Let's see if we can do _something_ right, shall we?"

"Move out!" commanded Campion, leaving the riverbank to find and calm down the rest of the panicked-stricken Owsla.

"Afraid of bees," Vervain chucked at the Owsla's cowardice. "That's a good one." And he left.

Once the coast was clear, the Watership rabbits emerged out of their hiding places. Blackavar, Bluebell, Silver, Hawkbit and Dandelion burst out laughing, remembering the Efrafan rabbits will be known as the cowardly chickens when they retell this story to their friends back home.

"Did you see them run?" chuckled Blackavar.

"They squeal like little does!" added Silver

"AHEM!" Holly cleared his throat loud and clear to be heard, silencing their mockery as he fixed a hard stare in their direction.

"Was there anyone stung by the bees?" Lily checked up on her fellow rabbits, making sure nobody had been stung.

"Nope, we're good here," Bluebell assured her, as did everyone else.

"Let's follow them," suggested Hazel. "You never known what we might overhear."

"The cat becomes the mouse, eh?" Bigwig smirked, pleased at this idea.

"Exactly," Hazel nodded, "and by the looks of them, we probably could outrun them if they _did_ find us out."

* * *

Sunset had come as the Watership rabbits kept their distance at trailing the Efrafan Owsla, eager to find out what they are up to and careful not to reveal their location. Thanks to the false tracks, the Efrafans had been lured much farther away from Watership Down. There was a gentle breeze blowing eastward in their faces.

Bigwig sniffed the wind's air, then turned to his Chief Rabbit, "The wind's in our favor. We can afford to get closer."

Hazel nodded, then he crept forward. The rest of the group advanced close behind him. The Efrafans caught the scent of a strange area they'd never been to before whilst trying to find some flayrah to eat. When they left, the Watership rabbits stayed low to the ground as Hazel ventured forward to see where the enemies were going. Then he stomped his foot lightly to signal the others to come out. Their discovery of what located on the other side left them staring in awe and wonder.

"Wow, what is it?" Hawkbit gasped, his eyes widening.

A glass greenhouse stood gleaming in the sunlight, surrounded by the forest by its lonesome. The beams of light shone out of the glass windows and doors, creating multiple mini rainbows. From within the greenhouse, so many plants or flowers of different species were growing on fresh cared for soil.

"It's beautiful!" Fiver was amazed.

"It's like the stories, Prince Rainbow's Gleaming Warren," recalled Dandelion.

"I've never seen anything like it," astonished Bluebell.

Lily stared at the glass building for a second until another memory came back to her. Henry's family once owned a greenhouse on the farm, but nothing quite so big compared to this one. "I know what it is! It's a greenhouse!" she said.

"A green what?" Bigwig looked at her, puzzled.

"A greenhouse," the doe explained. "Humans make them to keep plants inside, so they can grow their plants inside rather than outside. There was one back home on Ridgeway Farm, though it wasn't as big as this one here."

"Is it dangerous?" asked Holly, warily.

"No, no. It's quite safe inside." Lily assured him.

Then, Fiver's nose twitched as he whiffed. "Faint scent... Man..."

"Let's watch ourselves," warned Hazel.

"Maybe it's time to go back." Hawkbit began to shudder.

"We'll let you know when, Hawkbit." Bigwig shook his head at the buck's cowardice.

Suddenly, a sharp cry struck their hears with dread and horror. Everyone glanced up at the sky when a dark shadow loomed over them.

"HAWK!" cried Hazel.

The frightened Watership rabbits ducked for cover, falling back into the bushes. Lily had almost gone tharn when the memory of Violet's death grasped hold on her like a Man trap. The hawk circled and turned to make a dive for her. Just then, Bigwig managed to push his mate out of harm's way in time and dragged back inside the brambles. The hawk left, then noticed the Efrafan Owsla close by and decided to catch one of them for a meal.

"What's the matter with you, lass?!" Bigwig scolded her, looking very cross. "Do you want to get yourself killed? What will I tell the little ones if I come home without their mother?"

"I... I'm sorry... it's just that..." Lily stuttered over her words, until she blurted out, "Memories of Violet's death still haunt every time I see a hawk."

Hearing this confession, Bigwig's eyes gradually soften. "And you're still blaming yourself for her death?"

The doe nodded, silently.

"It was never your fault, lass." The lion buck pressed his nose against her own to comfort Lily.

Another cry alerted the rabbits as they peered out of the brambles. Apparently, Moss got his foot entangled in a net left by Man whilst the terrorized Efrafans scattered for cover when they realized the hawk was on their tail. Vervain only criticized him for drawing attention, until he ran off when the hawk got closer. The brave and loyal Campion had turned back to rescue Moss, using his teeth to cut the net and free his fellow officer. Just as Moss made it for cover, the hawk caught hold of Campion, its talons buried in his back, as it lifted him up higher and higher away from the earth.

"Frith save us!" gaped Dandelion.

"Oh no!" panicked Lily, surprisingly fearing for the Efrafan Captain's life.

But Campion refused to let it end like this as he gave the hawk multiple kicks in the chest. The hawk screeched in agony and tried to fight back, stabbing him in the face with its beak. Campion wouldn't give up. He continued to kick at the hawk's chest, then aimed for the head with a harsh blow to the head. Fed up, the hawk released its hold on the Owsla Captain.

With a scream, Campion fell into a tree where its sharp branches tore at the rest of his body, although the tree broke his fall as his landing on the ground didn't severely made it worse. The brown buck lay there, badly wounded and scratched up, half conscious and barely aware of a gang of familiar strangers approaching him. Hazel checked for a pulse, then his eyes widened in amazement.

"He's still alive," the Chief Rabbit announced.

"Not many could survive a hawk attack," Dandelion said in awe.

"Campion's in a class of his own," Bigwig admitted, a bit impressed with Campion's courage.

"Well, thank Frith he survived." Lily placed a paw to her chest, relieved. "But he won't last long in the open."

"Fine! One less enemy to worry about," Hawkbit scoffed.

"He's a fellow rabbit, Hawkbit!" Fiver tried to reason with him.

"But he's one of _them!_" Blackavar stated coldly, trying to remind the runt of whom Campion belonged to.

Dandelion decided to cut in on the conversation. "Smell that?" His nose twitched and he pointed to a door left open to the greenhouse. "Flayrah, and lots of it!"

"But we can't just leave him out in the open, the blood on his injuries will attract elil." Lily defended, feeling an urge to help the Efrafan Captain. "We'll have to get him inside the greenhouse before the hawk comes back."

"Are you out of your mind, lass?!" Bigwig stared at her in bitter disbelief, wondering why his mate wanted to help an enemy rabbit. "Campion is a part of Efrafa, and wherever he goes, Woundwort is always there to stir up trouble!"

"He's Woundwort's Captain of Owsla!" Hawkbit yelled.

"He's Efrafa!" Silver shouted.

"He's out to destroy us!" Bluebell protested.

Lily frowned, disgusted by their refusal. She glanced at Campion as he moaned in pain and agony. His vision blurred when he stared at Lily for a second, briefly hallucinating her as someone he knew dearly.

"Primrose..." he muttered, before he fell unconscious.

Lily stared at him, bewildered. She wondered why he would mention Hyzenthlay's late sister until Hazel's voice interrupted her thoughts, "Not today he's not!" She saw her Chief Rabbit gazing down at the wounded Captain with pity. After thinking deeply over it, he made the decision to agree on Lily's plea to help him.

"Kehaar became our friend and ally because we helped him," Fiver pointed out.

"Oh, he's a big silly gull!" Hawkbit snorted, hatefully. "You won't turn around an Owsla Captain that easy. If I remember correctly, Campion was part of the Council when you, Lily, Holly and Bluebell were captured. He was going to kill you!"

"We're aware of it, Hawkbit, but right now, I don't give a damn about what you think!" Holly growled, scorning at the dark grey buck furiously as his response left everyone speechless. "If we leave him here to die, we're no better than Woundwort! So, either you help carry Campion inside that greenhouse to keep him safe or I'LL LEAVE YOU OUTSIDE FOR THE HAWK TO CATCH YOU!" he bellowed, raising his voice to a high volume as he scowled intimidatingly at the stupefied Hawkbit.

Of course, none of the rabbits protested against Holly's orders so they agreed, though Bigwig did with much reluctance. Lily was so grateful to Hazel and Holly for listening to her. Working together, Hawkbit and Dandelion carried Campion's unconscious body inside the greenhouse, yet he was quite stronger than Bigwig. Upon entering, the rabbits gazed in astonishment at all of the strange and unfamiliar plants.

"By Frith, this is really something!" Dandelion awed, fascinated.

Taking a bite of one of the big plant leaves, Hawkbit felt a tasty sensation overwhelm him. "Oh, you've got to try this! I've never tasted anything like it. Hmm."

Cautiously, Bluebell bit at the plant leaf and then hummed in content. "_Mmmmm_... this is delicious."

Silver and Blackavar exchanged worried glances, then decided to take their chances of trying something new. Their reactions were just the same as the others at their first bite of the plant leaves. Dandelion munched on a different plant leaf, by now starting a tug of war with Bluebell over the same leaf the blue buck was munching on.

"There's so much new in here," Fiver said, studying his surroundings warily. "It's all so strange, I don't know whether to be worried or not."

"Eat now, worry later." Hawkbit told him as he continued to chew on the leaf.

Bigwig and Holly shook their heads at their Owsla's ravenous hunger. Checking up on their Chief Rabbit, Hazel and Lily busied themselves with either licking at Campion's wounds, or using some herbs the doe discovered growing in the greenhouse, and put her healing skills to use as she gently massaged the herbs on more of the serious wounds on the Owsla Captain's body.

Bigwig eyed his doe suspiciously as Lily tenderly cared for Campion. She mostly cared for him whenever he got injured, but there was something different about Lily when it came to Campion. Why did she care for Campion so suddenly? What did he do in Efrafa to make her care about him? Could it be that Bigwig had another rival for his beloved doe? His green eyes narrowed dangerously at the unconscious rabbit's body, jealously fueled him to the brim. And then, the lion buck shook his head dismissing his suspicions as ridiculous. Orchis was his only rival for Lily out of selfishness. There is no way Lily would have feelings for Campion. He is the enemy, after all. "It's going to be dark soon," he informed his friends when he caught a glimpse of the setting sun.

"Then you better get home," Hazel told him.

"What about you?"

"I'll stay with Campion, but there's no point in all of us getting captured if the patrol returns."

"I'd like to stay with you until Campion is better," Lily added.

"He'll be fine until morning and Hazel will keep watch over him." Bigwig hoped to change her mind, but the doe's mind was made up.

"But I'd like to stay with Hazel, and I can look after myself."

"You wouldn't have a hope in hell if-" Bigwig came close to reprimanding her until Holly broke up the argument.

"Enough, Thlayli!" The pale grey buck stepped in-between them. "There is no point in fighting. It's getting late and we should go. Hazel-rah will look after her, won't you?"

"I will." Hazel nodded.

"I don't like it here, Hazel." Fiver admitted. "There's something alien about it all." His ears dropped and his body quivered as if a cold wind had touched him. "And there's something else... something cold and watchful..."

"It won't be long until Campion can fend for himself," Hazel said, ushering his brother and two Captains to leave. "Now, go."

"Right then, you heard Hazel," Bigwig began ordering his Owsla to move out. "Let's get a move on!"

Silver, Blackavar and Bluebell obeyed his commands, except for Dandelion and Hawkbit as they still ate the leaves. Bigwig cleared his throat loudly to get them to leave the greenhouse. Dandelion took a chunk off the leaf before leaving. Hawkbit was still eating, until Bigwig cleared his throat again. Taking one last bite of this delicious leaf, Hawkbit trotted away. Holly and Fiver lead everyone out of the greenhouse and headed for the forest.

"Fiver's right, there is something wrong about this place." Bigwig shared his suspicions with his Chief Rabbit as he looked around. "Watch yourself, chum." Turning to Lily, he gave her a quick nuzzle. "Be careful," he whispered.

"I will be." Lily returned the nuzzle with equal affection.

She watched as her friends bounded off for the journey home, leaving her and Hazel alone with the still unconscious Owsla Captain. The doe silently dreaded of leaving when she had the chance if there is something wrong in the greenhouse, but she knew a greenhouse is nothing to be afraid of and she was glad to have Hazel for company. To take her mind off worrying, she resumed back to her job of healing Campion's wounds.

* * *

By the time Bigwig and the Owsla returned home to Watership Down, the sun had vanished and the night had fallen. Clover and Hyzenthlay greeted them at the Honeycomb, until they noticed two members of their party were absent.

"Where's Hazel and Lily?" asked Clover.

"They're staying behind in a Man-made greenhouse to look after Campion," explained Fiver.

"CAMPION?!" Hyzenthlay's eye narrowed angrily. "What's he got to do with this?"

"What happened to him?" Clover gawked at them.

"Uhhh…oh yeah. A hawk got him," Dandelion told her.

"But he'll be alright," Fiver assured the doe.

"I do hope so." Clover glanced down at her feet worriedly.

"Why bother worrying about him? He's the enemy!" questioned Hyzenthlay, bitterly.

"But he's not all bad."

"You've still got a soft spot for him, haven't you?" Bigwig made it sound more like a statement rather than a question, his scowl said it all.

"He defended me back in Efrafa," explained Clover.

"And he saved Primrose's life at Efrafa, that was long before she died," Vilthuril added, overhearing the conversation when she came out of a tunnel. "Sometimes it seemed he was the only descent rabbit there." She noticed the hard look in Hyzenthlay's eyes, silently ordering to refrain from speaking.

"He couldn't save Primrose from being executed!" Hyzenthlay snapped. "He's better off dead!"

"How can you say such things?!" Clover stared at the coco brown doe in disbelief.

Instead of responding, Hyzenthlay turned and lolloped back to her burrow with a bitter scowl.

"Don't mind her, lass. Hazel and Lily are saving his life," Bigwig assured her. "I suppose that makes you even."

"I suppose it does." Clover sighed sadly, anxious for not just Hazel and Lily, but for Campion included.

* * *

Meanwhile, Vervain and the rest of his patrol had returned to Efrafa. While the next patrol set out and the returning patrol took up their guard shifts over the burrows, Vervain was unfortunately in the Chief's Burrow, giving his report to Woundwort with Orchis at his side… albeit a personally-biased one meant to exercise his own fault onto Campion. Woundwort, however, is not one easily fooled by Vervain's attempts, while Orchis smirks at his brother's "report".

"The patrol was exhausted, sir. Campion drove them beyond their limit."

"Did he?"

"Yes, sir. It's no wonder the hawk decided we were easy prey."

"No wonder."

"It was pure luck the rest of us got away."

"Was it?"

"I did my best, General."

The General was silent and stern for a moment while Orchis held a slight snigger. "No information on Thlayli or the outsiders… no flayrah… and my best captain of Owsla lost. Your best _isn't_ very good… Is it, Captain Vervain?" he asked as he approached the cowardly Captain, who cringed slightly, until Woundwort struck him across the face with a sharp blow.

Vervain was completely shocked by this sudden act of punishment, he trembled slightly before replying, "No, sir."

"You _will_ be back there by dawn, won't you?"

"Yes, sir."

"And you _will_ do better this time… Won't you?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good… it seems we _finally_ have an understanding. Dismissed."

With a fearful bow, Vervain left the burrow, shortly before Orchis was also dismissed for the day as the General's personal attendant. As Vervain prepared to retire to his quarters, a slow firm clap was heard in the tunnel. A growl escaped his mouth as he notices Orchis with a pleased smirk while slowly clapping his paws outside the Owsla branch of the tunnels.

"Bravo, Vervain," his brother taunted. "I must admit: quite the show you put on. Though I couldn't quite decide which I liked better: your little self-indulgent report, or when the General stripped you of your nerve when he beat you."

"You were there with me, _brother_," Vervain retorted, venomously. "You could have said _something_ in my defense."

"Why would I?" Orchis sneered. "You had no trouble displeasing the General on your _own_. All the same… remember I once trusted _you_ to help me get something _I_ wanted, and yet you failed at that. Why should I bother helping you out of the burrow you dug yourself?"

"You not getting that hutch-doe was hardly _my_ fault. Perhaps she merely preferred the strong, sturdy type. I mean…" Vervain let out a snickering smirk of his own, "she certainly _sounded_ more like a doe in heat under that Thlayli chap." This, of course, let out a deeper growl from Orchis, which is what Vervain wanted. "Oh yes… if you only heard and saw what _I_ heard and saw… You'd definitely question your own prowess as a buck. Just remember that. No matter what you do to me, there is _always_ something worse to be done to you in turn."

Vervain lets out a heartless chuckle as he returns to his burrow, leaving his younger brother to stew in his own anger to Vervain which quickly turned to more selfish hatred at Thlayli for taking his doe…_HIS DOE_…


	26. Friends & Enemy p2

Back at the greenhouse, Campion still remained unconscious, though Hazel and Lily finished their tasks of caring for his injuries. The two rabbits had started to doze off when a sudden and loud squawk from above woke them up with a leap of fright.

"That's not Kehaar, is it?" Hazel grumbled.

"No, look up there." Lily pointed up to a tall tree where two macaw parrots stood on the branch of a small palm tree.

The first parrot had green feathers, a red beak and a yellow chest, and the second parrot had red and yellow feathers, a blue streak on his wings, and a white beak. Hazel stared at them in bewilderment, never have he seen such unusual looking birds in his life.

"Bad place to be night times," said the red parrot.

"Uhh, hello?" greeted Hazel, awkwardly.

"Do you live here?" asked Lily.

"We live here sometime," answered the green parrot. "Night times bad enough up here…"

"Night times _very_ bad down there," finished the red parrot

"Why?" Hazel frowned suspiciously. "What's down here?"

Just then, a human entered the greenhouse. A man, most likely, and he was moving in their direction. Hazel and Lily immediately hauled Campion's body out of sight, including them as they needed to hide from the Man. The two rabbits watched as the Man walked toward a large bowl and filled it with bird seed from a big sack. Then he filled up another bowl with a canteen of water. Finished, the Man walked out of the greenhouse and closed the door behind him, locking it.

"Damn it!" Hazel hissed, furious at himself for not having figured it out that a human would come here and imprison two rabbits inside.

Lily despairingly pawed at the glass barrier that prevented her from the outside world. "I guess we're stuck in here, huh?"

"Man not like you here. Oh no," the red parrot explained, having flown down with his companion to eat the bird seed. "Should have left when you could. Oh yes."

"Hide good now, furry long ears," the green parrot chuckled, drinking from the water bowl.

"From what?" demanded Hazel, starting to dislike the parrots' rudeness. "What else is in here?"

"Slither Thing!" the green parrot squawked.

"What's a Slither Thing?" Hazel raised a baffled eyebrow, and he hoped Lily knew the answer since she's more aware of human things or different creatures, but the doe shook her head when she didn't understand.

"It hide quiet… and _wait_," replied the red parrot.

"It kill all animals who live on ground," followed up the green parrot.

"You will see," the red parrot laughed, flapping his wings.

"And we'll watch you see," the green parrot laughed, flapping his wings.

Laughing at the two rabbits' misfortune, the two parrots flew back to the safety of their tree. Lily rolled her eyes at their arrogance. Hazel fearfully looked around, hoping this slither creature wasn't close by. So far, nothing. He and Lily decided to sleep closer to Campion this time to feel better.

"Oh, I wish you'd wake up, Campion," hoped Hazel. "We're feeling awfully lonely all of a sudden."

"And I do hope you didn't die in your sleep," prayed Lily, slightly nuzzling his head, thinking some movement will awaken him.

But Campion still did not budge an inch. Lily checked for a pulse, and instant relief came when she felt it. Hazel kept his guard up to look out for this mysterious Slither Thing. It didn't help with the parrots spent the majority of their time mocking them.

"You should fly up here! Oh yes!" the red parrot taunted.

"Don't be stupid, you embleer fools!" Hazel cussed at them. "We can't fly!"

"Flap your ears. Might work!" the green parrot chuckled.

"If Kehaar were here, then he'd give them a load of-" Lily's own cuss was cut short when she heard a groan from Campion. "Ah! He's waking up at last!" she cheered.

Slowly, Campion opened his eyes though his vision was blurry for a second until it faded. He gave a cry when he saw standing in front of him were two of the outsiders. He recognized Lily instantly, but he didn't know Hazel quite well. "AH! Lily... What happened? And who is this?"

"This is Hazel, a friend and Clover's mate," she explained. "A hawk nearly got you. Your patrol left you for dead, especially that scum, Vervain. You needed help."

Campion growled, mixed with a sigh. "Good old Vervain. Solid as a marsh, that one." Taking a moment to study his surroundings and the presence of outsiders with him, he realized, "And you just happen to save me, eh? I suppose your warren is nearby then."

"Let's not play war games, Campion," Hazel quickly eluded a conflict the brown buck would've started. "We're stuck in here, and there's something in here with us."

"What? Elil?" Campion's eyes widened, looking around.

"Something like that," said Lily.

Hazel glared up at those two nuisances of birds, still watching them. "_They_ call it a Slither Thing," he said.

"Oh, that doesn't sound good," Campion groaned, and after considering the situation he got himself into and the only company he had to chat with are two of the enemies, he decided, "A truce then, until we get out."

"Agreed." Hazel nodded, and Lily repeated the gesture in understanding. "Rest now, I'll keep watch."

"Okay, I'm gonna get you some flayrah and water." Lily lolloped off toward the water bowl. It looked too big to push toward her patient. Noticing a few smaller leaves that resembled teacups, she got an idea on how to bring the water to Campion. Tearing off the cupped leaf, she used it to scoop up some water and carefully nudged it in front of Campion, who guzzled it down quickly. Then she ripped off the half-eaten leaf that Hawkbit had been chewing on and gave it to Campion, who nibbled at it slowly.

"Thanks," Campion mumbled gruffly, but she smiled softly at him. He stared at the two outsiders curiously. "I've been wondering why you'd both risk your lives for an enemy."

"Just eat and get your strength back," Hazel replied, almost as if avoiding the question.

"Because you're a fellow rabbit, enemy or not," Lily told him.

"Are..." Campion hesitated, before asking what of the escapees' fates, "Are the does still with you?"

"Yes, and they're all happy."

"And what of Hyzenthlay, Clover and Blackavar?"

"Blackavar is fine, and Hyzenthlay started a family with Holly. And Clover stared a family with Hazel, too."

Hazel gave the doe a silent scorn, warning her to stop revealing too much. Lily didn't understand why he would ask her to keep quiet, as she found no harm in telling Campion of how the does or Blackavar are doing in their new home.

"Oh, well that's good... I'm glad..." Campion didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointment.

"Some of them and Clover say you don't belong in Efrafa," Lily continued. "That you're better than the rest of them."

"No worse, anyway."

"You can't like the way Woundwort rules, can you?" Hazel questioned, perhaps trying to get some sense knocked into him.

Momentarily distraught, Campion sighed, "Look, we're getting along. Don't spoil it."

"He's leading Efrafa down a dark trail and you know it."

"He wasn't always this way."

"Blind loyalty is a fool's choice!"

This made Campion livid as he stood up on his hind legs, and for a second he reminded Lily of Bigwig whenever he came close to unleashing his temper. "Before he came, Efrafa was starving, falling apart! He made us great again! No one else could have saved us!"

"Maybe not..." Hazel retorted, "but who's going to save Efrafa from Woundwort?"

Instead of answering the buck's question, Campion turned away in slight disgust.

"Before you passed out, you called me Primrose." Lily spoke softly, deciding to change the subject when she thought earlier today when she and the others recovered the Captain's injured body. "I'm aware of the history she shares with the does, but what is she to you?"

Campion's eyes enlarged as he fixed a hard stare at her. He opened his mouth to deny it, but he noticed Hazel scowling at him, thinking he was going to attack the doe. The brown buck sighed in defeat as he fessed up, "To Efrafa, Primrose may have been a slave... but to me, she was the only doe I have ever loved."

Hazel and Lily gawked at the Owsla Captain in shocked disbelief.

"Y-You mean... you and... P-Primrose were..." Lily stuttered, her eyes grew wider than saucer plates.

"Lovers? Yes. _Secret_ lovers, to be precise, like you and Thlayli were," corrected Campion. "Whenever the Owsla chose a doe to mate with, Primrose had always been the one for me. I never allowed any officer to touch her... let alone hurt her. I talked of starting a future with her, but she only wanted to talk of freedom and peace. Even tried to convince me to join her. But my loyalty stayed with Efrafa. It was around that point that… she left me. Well, _almost_ did, until she was executed."

"Didn't you _try_ to stop it?"

"I tried to convince Woundwort to use a different punishment to keep her alive, but the Council ruled in his favor to have her killed."

Suddenly, there came rustling and some movement in the shrubbery. The three rabbits froze and waited. Then came a strange sound neither of the bucks ever heard before, a hissing sound like steam escaping from a kettle. Unfortunately, Lily put two and two together when she correctly deduced what the Slither Thing truly is.

* * *

"NO!" wailed Fiver, sitting straight up and panting from what he seemingly had a nightmare.

Bigwig, Clover and Vilthuril were at his side in a flash, dreadfully concerned.

"What's the matter, Fiver?" asked Bigwig.

"A bad dream... It has to be..." Fiver stammered, a look of utter horror seized upon him. "A thing like that can't be real! It can't!"

It was then Bigwig realized the danger his beloved mate and his Chief Rabbit had gotten themselves into. His pulse raced faster Kehaar's wings when he flies, realizing he shouldn't have left her back in that greenhouse. He should have convinced her to come home when he had the chance.

"But I don't understand, Fiver, what exactly did you see in your dream?" asked Dandelion, coming over to them.

"A monster!" Fiver said. "A thing from another world. Hazel, Lily and Campion don't stand a chance."

"And you think it'll turn tail and run once it sees us?" Hawkbit asked, sarcastically.

"If it knows what's good for it," growled Bigwig, eager to put an end to this monster that threatened his mate and his friend.

After rousing the members of his Owsla, Bigwig and the others lolloped down the hill, hoping to get back to the greenhouse in time to save their friends, and strangely, Campion too.

* * *

"IT'S A SNAKE!" Lily squealed.

The creature himself slithered out of nowhere from the potted trees and crept downward to their level on the ground. His green head reared up, exposing sharp fangs and a flickering tongue and burning yellow eyes that could stare right into their souls. The three rabbits were nearly paralyzed with fear, almost going tharn, but this was not time to let fear stop them.

"Can you run?" Hazel asked, stunned.

"El-ahrairah couldn't catch me," replied Campion.

"Go, now!" Lily cried, as she and the two bucks swiftly dodged the snake's jaws.

The trio raced through the thick forest of plants, with a new elil in pursuit of them. They hurried deep into the shrubbery and flowers in a blind attempt to escape their enemy. Hopping out of the plant forest, Hazel thought he saw an open door that lead to freedom, but instead he ran face first into the glass door. The impact would have knocked him out cold, but thankfully he wasn't. Campion and Lily caught up to him. The snake had lost them, apparently.

"What in Frith's name _was_ that thing?" Campion panted, his brown furry face turning slightly pale.

"That's a snake!" explained Lily, through mild panting. "All I know is they can wrap their coils around you, squeeze you so hard until your heart stops and then... well, they swallow you whole."

Hazel and Campion didn't like the sound of that, especially an elil that can move like lightning and devour them in one gulp.

"You right, long ear!" the red parrot spoke, laughing.

"It find you. It taste your heat, it get you. Oh yes," the green parrot chortled.

By now, Hazel was fed up with their arrogant mockery. "WHY DON'T YOU SHUT YOUR BEAKS?!"

The two parrots stopped laughing, then exchanged odd looks at each other.

"You ever shut your beak?" the red parrot asked.

"No, have you ever shut your beak?" the green parrot repeated the same question.

This went on for a while, so an irritated Lily mumbled under her breath, "I wish that snake could've gobbled them up instead of us!"

"Any ideas on how we get out?" Hazel asked, hopefully.

"I don't even know why you both dragged me in here in the first place." Campion shrugged his shoulders.

"It seemed clever at the time." Then Hazel noticed a small pile of dirt near the door of the greenhouse. If he could dig, then he and the others will be out of here. "I might have an idea. Keep watch while I dig." He bent forward and started to dig, trying to create a tunnel to escape.

Campion stood up tall and high, keeping his eyes open for the snake. Lily decided to help with the digging, but try as the rabbits might, there was a no chance of digging a tunnel. The greenhouse was built around cement to keep it firmly on the ground.

Suddenly, Campion's ears twitched when he heard that eerie hissing. "It's here," he whispered.

Hazel and Lily were on alert, and in a flash, the snake burst out of the shrubbery and propelled his body. The rabbits scurried, but Hazel was cornered by the monster. Just as the reptile reared up to prepare for the final strike, Campion shouted, "HAZEL!" as he threw his body against Hazel, pushing him out of the way before the snake clamped his jaws shut, barely missing them by an inch.

Hissing furiously, the snake maneuvered his way in the direction where the two bucks had gone. However, Lily noticed the water sprinklers high above and the knob that could turn it on and off. An idea came to her, hoping it would be enough to keep the snake at bay while she and the bucks figure out a way to escape. She examined the blue and red colored lines, figuring out which color meant hot or cold. Something came back to her about Henry studying wildlife, snakes included. He probably mentioned snakes are cold-blooded because they grow up in warm atmospheres. Using her paws, rather unrabbit-like, she twisted the knob to the left, turning on the cold water. A deep rumbling sounded in the pipes as the water was turned on.

Meanwhile, the snake had cornered Hazel and Campion at another dead end. The monster began to use a hypnotizing trick on the bucks, his head swayed softly from side to side. Then, Hazel and Campion felt a strange dizziness overwhelm them. Their visions a blur, solely focused on the snake. Neither of them could speak nor move. They were powerless. The snake began to wrap his extremely long coils around their bodies, until a shower of cold water exploded from above. Feeling the icy cold water touch his scaly skin, the snake released a blood-curdling shriek. Releasing his captives, the snake retreated to find the culprit. Hazel and Campion collapsed to the floor, gasping and catching their breath.

"What happened there?" Hazel panted. "I couldn't see or think straight."

"It must have some sort of power to control us," Campion gasped for air, then he looked around and up at the pouring shower from the ceiling. "Where is Lily? And where did this rain come from?"

His first question concerning the doe was answered when a scream sounded. Hazel and Campion knew it was Lily, and she was in trouble. Neither of them could think they'd find her in what appeared to be a rain storm inside a Man-building. Fortunately, they found the snake had backed up the helpless doe to a corner close to the sprinklers, where the snake began to speak to her in a taunting, sly and foul voice.

"You have just made a sssserious missstake, long ear..." he hissed, "a _very_ ssstupid…"

"N-Now, now, Mr. Snake, I-I was just..." the doe's words stumbled out of her mouth, finding herself helpless and frenzied with terror as the snake was about to subdue his prey.

"…missstake…" The snake began to perform that same hypnosis on her. "Now you have just ssssealed your doom, delicioussss long ear…"

Suddenly Campion darted out of nowhere and clawed the reptile across the eye. The snake drew back with an angry hiss, giving the brown buck enough time to lift Lily onto his back and carry her to safety. Whilst catching up to a concerned Hazel, Lily had regained her senses until she caught hold of Campion's arms grabbing her and placing her upon his back, and she grasped her arms around Campion's neck, surprisingly feeling how strong and muscular he felt to her paws. The Owsla Captain glanced over his shoulder when he felt her holding onto his body. Lily turned away, trying not to let him see the red shade on her cheeks. She began to understand why Primrose loved him; Campion is a resourceful, compassionate, and far rabbit, to both officers and imprisoned rabbits. He would have been a great addition to Watership Down had he not lived in Efrafa, and he could make the perfect mate for any doe in the warren, maybe Blackberry perhaps as she remembered Blackberry's admiration of him whenever Lily told the doe of her adventures in Efrafa.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Watership rabbits had taken a path down the same Man trail where they last left the greenhouse. Kehaar accompanied them, keeping a look out for Efrafan patrol, which he located on the far side of the forest but in the same direction to the greenhouse.

"Ugly Vervain is going where we going!" the gull warned his friends. "He got patrol with him."

"Great!" Hawkbit scoffed. "Efrafans, monsters. How much worse can today get?"

"I just hope that Lily and Hazel will be alright," added Bigwig, rushing up farther than his group or Fiver, who had originally taken the lead.

Back at the greenhouse, Hazel and Campion and Lily were completely exhausted. They had been dodging or avoiding the snake all night, and the snake was not tiring himself out, despite the sprinklers having turned on. He seemed determined to kill them, but it appears the rabbits gave the creature the slip right after Campion clawed his eye. The three rabbits took a break beneath the palm tree to catch their breath, their bodies soaking wet by the water.

"We can't keep running," panted Campion.

"I'm all worn out," added Lily.

"And we can't exactly fight the Slither Thing either," agreed Hazel.

At that moment, a familiar and rude voice interrupted their thoughts as the rabbits looked up to find the red parrot looking down at them, not expecting the rabbits to survive that long, saying, "Oh… you last all night, furry long ears."

"Arrk! Pretty smart for furry things," the green parrot chuckled.

Hazel wanted to throw a clever retort back at them, until an idea struck him. "Not as smart as _you_, though. I bet _you_ know a way out of here." He noticed Lily and Campion staring at him, then he winked at them to go along with it and the duo understood instantly.

"Sure, we go out once, oh yes!" the red parrot answered, unknowingly taking the bait.

"But we come _back_. Too cold out," the green parrot explained. "Slither Thing hate cold too."

"I don't believe they _ever_ got out!" Campion retorted, as he played along with Hazel's plan. "They're fibbing."

"Yeah, how could a bunch of bird brains like you know exactly how to get out when you're trapped in here as much as we are?" Lily shouted while trying not to smirk.

"We show you, big silly furry ears!" taunted the red parrot, before both parrots took off to fly toward the far end of the greenhouse.

The three rabbits followed, secretly pleased that their plan had worked. Reaching the far end of the greenhouse, there was a large hole in the glass of the bottom wall. A thick white sheet, probably an old bird seed bag, had been shoved through to block out the outside air.

"We go out there," boasted the red parrot, pointing at the cloth-covered hole. "Smart, oh yes."

With no time to waste, the three rabbits got a grip on the sheet with their teeth and began pulling with all their might. Lily first wondered why neither of them had bothered to notice it before, yet decided to forget it as escaping was all that mattered. But the sack was too heavy for them as they kept tugging at it.

"It's packed hard as a burrow floor," Hazel grunted.

At that moment, the Watership rabbits had found them as they appeared on the other side of the glass. They were quite relieved to see their friends are still alive, but concerned over what they are doing.

"Hazel!" Fiver cried.

"Help us!" his brother pleaded. "Hurry!"

"Don't worry, we're getting you out of there!" Bigwig used his teeth to grab the sack and, with the assistance of Hawkbit and Holly and Silver, started to yank at it, trying to tear it out of the hole.

"How is it raining inside that place?" Dandelion wondered, noticing the sprinklers still pouring water inside the building, so he turned to Bluebell for answers, but the blue buck shook his head in confusion.

Then, Fiver noticed a strange slithering creature emerging from the shadows as the creature stealthy crept towards his prey. "The monster!" he warned them.

The trio froze as they whirled around to find themselves confronted by the giant reptile, hissing callously. Their friends on the other side of the glass stared at this strange and unfamiliar elil they had never seen before, stupefied at the sight before them with utter horror.

"I'll lead it off, then circle back!" Hazel decided, before bolting off into the plant-infested jungle.

"Is he serious?" Bluebell was dumbfounded by his Chief's actions.

Around that time, Vervain and the Efrafan Owsla had arrived, searching for flayrah. Noticing the rain shower inside the greenhouse, Vervain peered through and thought he saw a strange rabbit hopping past him, but the rushing water blurred his view.

Bigwig took control of the situation when he shook his head in annoyance at his Owsla's weak attempts at tugging the white sheet, almost paranoid at the supposed fate of his beloved doe and his best friend imprisoned inside that Man-place where a slithering monster could devour them at any second now. He silently muttered a prayer to Frith to give him strength to free his mate and his friend. The lion buck pushed everyone side before he gave one mighty yank at the sheet with a cry. The sounds of tearing and glass shattering filled the air. When the sheet had been torn from the entrance, the impact broke a part of the glass above the hole. Multiple thick shards of glass and drops of water flew everywhere that everyone had to shield their faces. No one was hurt, but the shards had cut Bigwig's face slightly. "Hurry, Lily!" he urged, panting.

Lily crawled out of the hole, careful not to step on the pieces of glass, where she immediately checked over Bigwig for any smaller injuries by the glass explosion, then she gave him a big hug. "I guess you don't know your own strength, huh darling?" she smiled.

"Come on, Campion!" the lion buck ordered, noticing the Efrafan Captain staying behind. "Don't dally about!"

Campion glanced back at the plant jungle, looking a bit concerned for Hazel. That rabbit had saved his life, even the doe who accompanied him. Being a member of the Owsla, he never left a fellow rabbit behind, even if he is the enemy, so he refused to move from his spot, just in case Hazel needed help. "Not without Hazel," he replied.

Just then, Hazel burst out of the shrubbery with the snake right behind him, shouting, "Go!"

The two rabbits scrambled through the hole, barely missing the jaws of the serpent as he landed face first at the spot where Campion once stood. All of the rabbits moved away from the greenhouse when the snake slithered out of the hole in attempt to go after them. However, the weather outside was chilly, much colder than the sprinklers inside. Reluctantly, the snake gave his prey a vengeful hiss before he retreated back to his lair. "Oooohhhh… Bbbrrrr… Cold… Too cold… Thisssss isssssn't the end, long earsssss…"

"Did you see that?" Hawkbit pointed out, amazed. "It took one look at us and turned tail."

"The cold... The birds said the snake didn't like the cold..." Hazel panted, out of breath.

"Are you alright, Hazel-rah?" Holly asked, concerned.

"I'm fine, Holly," the Chief Rabbit responded. "Lily and Campion are fine, as well."

Upon noticing the Efrafan patrol hurrying to the other side of the building where his friend stood, Kehaar came soaring over them. "Ugly Vervain coming around. You hiding or fighting?"

"We got out," Hazel said, realizing their alliance is done. "The truce is over."

"Thank you for your help," Lily added, very grateful.

Campion looked at the rabbits, realizing this was his chance to capture the outsiders. But after the dangers he faced with Hazel and Lily, today was not the day to do it. As an honest officer, honor convinced him to let the outsides run free for now. "I'm too tired to fight," he sighed.

"I'm not!" Bigwig prepared to start a combat with him, still fuming over what events that occurred inside the greenhouse.

"Let him go." Lily instantly grasped at her mate's arm, pulling him back.

Bigwig stared at her for a second, then he noticed his Chief Rabbit frowning at him to withdraw. "Hazel... Lily... just remember that whatever happened in there..." as he left with his beloved doe, he added with a scorn, "_he's_ the enemy."

Hazel nodded, then turned to address the Efrafan Captain, "I asked you who'd save Efrafa from Woundwort. You didn't answer."

"You ask too many questions, Hazel," Campion replied, bluntly.

No sooner had the Watership rabbits left the area, the Efrafan patrol turned a corner and came face-to-face with Campion. The bucks stared in shock and disbelief, not sure if this was real or a figment of their imaginations.

"C-C-Campion?!" stuttered Vervain.

"Bless my tail!" Moss exclaimed, relieved and overjoyed to see him as were the rest of the officers when they crowded around their wounded captain. "It's good to see you again, sir."

"But... but... the hawk got you! You should be _dead_!" Vervain was clearly disappointed that he was still alive.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Vervain," growled Campion, sarcastically.

"I saw one of the outsiders in that place... he was being chased by some creature..."

"No, you didn't. That was me, Vervain. You saw me."

Eavesdropping on their conversation, Hazel were surprised and that Campion lied to protect them whilst Lily gave the brown buck one last smiling glance before leaving. She was looking forward to a good rest at home with Bigwig and their kittens at her side.

* * *

Night had fallen again at the lonesome greenhouse, minus the sprinklers had been turned off by the visiting Man and the two parrots exchanging a humorous conversation regarding the rabbits. However, they remained ignorantly unaware of ominous visitors approaching the greenhouse.

"What you think it's like out there for furry long ears?" asked the red parrot.

"Boring!" answered the green parrot. "Cold and boring!"

As the two parrots chortled, the sound of movement entered the greenhouse. A dark shadow slunk inside through the foliage, briefly looking up to see the chortling parrots before making a light sniff in the air. "_Hmmmm… enemies of the Dark One were here… along with one of His followers…_" a cold and husky female voice spoke to herself, catching the scent of enemy rabbits in the air.

The concealed creature roamed through the foliage until it caught sight of the snake warming himself near a warm light of a few gooseneck lamps. "Much better… But if I never sssssee those ssssneaky little long earsssss, it will be too ssssoon…"

"_Perhaps sooner than you think, elil..._" the same husky female voice spoke loudly, startling the snake who looked around the foliage.

"Who'sssss lurking about?"

"_Just someone who knows how tiresome those rabbits can be, long one. Always scurrying about outside in front of you, you with very little to eat…_"

The snake flickered his tongue to smell the intruder. "Hmmm… and yet, _you_ ssssmell of long ear… I may sssstill have a tasssste today…"

"_And then what? You eat me and you'll just grow hungry again. The way I see it… you eat one meal and no more for the rest of your life, however long that might be… or you listen to **my** offer and end up feasting for the rest of your life…_"

The snake contemplated the options. While he could eat the potential prey, it would then be some time before getting his next meal. "Hmmmm… I'm lisssstening."

"_I offer you the chance to join me, as a new subject to the coming of a new age for **all** animals; one where Frith will smile upon all who support it and bring death to all who oppose it, especially… Man. I present you the opportunity to be of value to the Dark One, to fight and kill for Him… and when He finally comes to claim his army, He will most assuredly show His gratitude upon you._"

The snake looked around, hearing the feminine voice come from all directions which made it difficult for the serpent to pinpoint her location, all the while thinking only of one thing: the thought of a never-ending feast of prey for the rest of his natural life. But one thought had come across his mind. "But to take thisssss offer, I'd have to go outssssside… and I ssssso dessspissse the cold."

"_Fear not. Where you shall serve, it will be warmer than this Man prison. Now come! Free yourself from Man's bonds and join the Elil Owsla of Darkhaven! Discover what comes to all followers of the Dark One, and to all who oppose him!_"

The snake was about to consider the offer more when he overheard the continued cackling of those parrots, whose infernal squawks have always intruded his slumber many times. Looking up at the two birds with such hatred and with his ever-growing hunger, he made a cruel decision. "I will join you. But firsssst, you won't mind me grabbing… a couple of ssssnackssss for the road, do you?"

"_Make their ends swift, for the Dark One's arrival is soon upon us…_"

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Efrafa, Campion was resting, recovering from his wounds. After returning to Efrafa, he received a welcome from the General, both pleased that his most loyal Captain of Owsla had returned and that Vervain had done _something_ right, to the cowardly Captain's displeasure and to Orchis' irritation. Due to his injuries, Corporal Moss had temporarily become Probationary Captain until Campion's recovery, which would be in a few days. However, as the brown buck rested, voices rang through his mind; voices from Thlayli and the outsiders. However, of all the voices he heard, Captain Holly's voice rang through his mind over and over, mentioning Hazel with one word. Just one word over and over until Campion would wake up from his rest with both shock and realization that the situation was either far simpler… or far more complicated than Efrafa had assumed.

"Thlayli's not the Chief… The other rabbit… Hazel-rah!" He managed to find the strength to look out his burrow, checking for any listeners before returning to rest. "Hmmmm… looks like we've been dealing with the wrong rabbit… but I wonder… If Thlayli's not the Chief, and he's as strong and disciplined as any Owsla I've seen… I wonder what makes Hazel-rah so dangerous as Chief of his warren."


	27. Kidnapped!

Upon their return to Watership Down after escaping the deadly greenhouse, Lily received a joyful welcome from her kittens, worried over their mother's whereabouts, as they smothered her with hugs and kisses. The tale of her adventures in the greenhouse with Hazel was told that night in the Honeycomb to all of her fellow rabbits, and the story put the kittens to sleep when it was past their burrow time. Lily turned in early for the night as she longed for a goodnight sleep in her comfortable burrow with her mate and her children.

As the days passed, the weather had begun to take a dreadful turn. No one had ever seen the rain fall so hard nor for so long. The fields of the countryside and the farmlands were soaked to the brim. All of the animals struggled to find a decent place to sleep and to keep dry. Sometimes, the downpour often caused multiple landslides of wet mud and rocks near high mountains or hills that animals found themselves to become unfortunate victims if they never escaped in time. The roads were flooded, bringing problems to humans and their vehicles, creating a major traffic problem that everyone had been warned to stay inside. During the harsh downpour, Silver and Thethuthinnang had become the proud parents of two kittens: Rowan the buck (obviously due to the Threarah's name meaning _Lord Rowan Tree_) born with tawny fur and orange eyes, and Daisy the doe, born with silver fur and red eyes.

Whilst scouting for enemies by air, as well as taunting the Efrafans, Kehaar discovered that the Efrafan Wide Patrol had recently abandoned an officer named Larch. The poor buck grew sicker every day, and today… he could not go any further as he collapsed.

Moss, who was by the officer's side called out to the Captain in charge, who unfortunately was Vervain. "Captain Vervain! It's Larch! He's sick, sir! I don't think he can go any further!"

The dark furred Captain turned back to Moss and the sickly officer with a stern, cold gaze. A moment briefly passed before Vervain ordered, "Then leave him," before turning back to lead the remaining Wide Patrol.

Dejected, Moss left him. Crows began to circle the miserable officer's body, until Kehaar chased them away. The gull felt sorry for him and landed beside the rabbit, hoping he could try to help him.

With not much strength left, all Larch could do was deliver his last words to the gull, "Tell Thlayli-rah... this war must end..." he coughed out drops of blood heavily between his words. "We cannot go on any longer, everyone is suffering..." he gasped sharply, "but at least… I will be free of Efrafa..." And then, Larch died.

Kehaar hung his head in bitter grief, and with a heavy heart, he left the rabbit's lifeless form behind as he turned for home. "Ahh... poor rabbit," he sighed.

Landing at the top of Watership Down, Kehaar slipped on the wet grass and tumbled over a few times before he skidded to a halt. He made sure nobody saw this, then he entered the main warren entrance, finding the Honeycomb crowded with rabbits either talking or eating leftover flayrah they had stolen from the farm days ago. The gull shook the water's contents off his feathery body, which splattered all over an irked Hawkbit.

"Nice weather out there," Kehaar said. "All wet."

"Then why don't you stay out there?" grumbled Hawkbit.

Hazel approached the gull, eager to hear of his report. "Kehaar, what's the news?"

"Efrafan patrol all over," Kehaar replied. "I saw Vervain not far away. Oh, he's still one ugly rabbit. He and Patrol left behind a sick rabbit for dead. Larch, his name was. I went down to him, and he said to tell Thlayli-rah that we must end the war, that Efrafa is suffering and can go no longer, and then..." The gull paused for a second, his eyes shut for a brief second before he continued, " and then he died. Poor rabbit..."

Bigwig stared at the gull, momentarily stunned. "Me? Thlayli-rah?" Of course, he would have liked to keep the nickname, but he knew the title of leadership belonged to Hazel and the lion buck belonged in the Owsla.

"I guess as far as the Efrafans are concerned, _Bigwig_ is the Chief Rabbit," Hazel assumed. "Not surprised, though. Given the size of their Chief, it's no wonder they assumed him to be a Chief as well."

"Regardless, Vervain just left one of his own for dead?" Lily asked, overhearing the gull's report to the Chief Rabbit, shocked and outraged at how a soldier could leave a fellow officer behind like that. "Poor Larch… Why couldn't we bring him back to our warren? We could've saved his life!"

"Why are you showing compassion for an _enemy_?" Bigwig demanded in disgust. "If we brought Larch here, he'd then report the location of Watership Down to Woundwort!"

"And what if Larch _didn't_ report to Woundwort? We'd be doing him a favor by saving his life!"

"You don't know the Efrafans that well, Lily. Don't you remember how they treated you?!"

"_**QUIET!**_" Hazel's voice bellowed harshly, silencing the couple's bickering. "I agree with Lily on one thing. Woundwort is driving his Owsla too far. If they are suffering, then we need a better plan to end this war without a bloodbath."

"There's _always_ a bloodbath in every war, Hazel!" Bigwig retorted. "Woundwort lives for war, and his Owsla will stay loyal to him, no matter how hard he's pushing them."

"What will happen if Woundwort finds us?" Fiver asked, making his way over to the group.

"He'll come down on us with an entire army. And even with our warren having more rabbits, our Owsla's not enough to fight him off." As he spoke, Bigwig noticed the little rabbits playing a game of pebble soccer (obviously a game taught to them by Lily). He gazed at them with deep concern and a dreaded fear if the enemy ever discovered their warren, not only would the Efrafans destroy the warren's inhabitants, but most of all, their precious children. "We'd be wiped out."

"Then we have to keep thinking up tricks to keep the Efrafans off our tail," Fiver stated.

"That's not enough. We need to take more _direct_ action." Hazel thought for a moment while thinking of a plan to stop Woundwort for good, and once he came up with an idea, he said, "What if we attacked Woundwort from the inside? If we had someone from Efrafa willing to overthrow him?"

"He'd have to be fearless or mad," Bigwig added.

"What about Campion?" Lily suggested, remembering his courage and loyalty back in the greenhouse. "I don't think he likes what Woundwort has done to Efrafa. If he was on that Wide Patrol, Campion would've gone back for Larch."

"An Owsla Captain betray his Chief?" Bigwig questioned, laughing as if it was a joke.

"What about the time you went against the Threarah?"

"That was a different time, darling."

"Wouldn't you turn against Woundwort if _you_ were Campion?"

Bigwig opened his mouth to protest, but he noticed the scowls on Hazel and Fiver's expressions. He stared at Lily's eyes, hard yet pleading. The lion buck thought this over, remembering his short time in Efrafa as a spy. He had witnessed the oppressive abuse, pain and hostility that Woundwort inflicted on the does. He succeeded in liberating the does, but Woundwort's lust for power and control was going too far. If he was in Campion's position, then he would've tried to do something to stop this madness. "Hmmm…I'd think I'd have to," he admitted.

"It's settled, then," Hazel decided, reaching an agreement to the plan. "We're going to find Campion and end this war…once and for all."

* * *

Meanwhile, Efrafa was not faring well, especially since the newer slaves the Owsla managed to capture were either small groups of hlessi or a few families in a tiny burrow system. They did not fare well especially in this downpour, as the rain not only leaked into the tunnels, the mud covered up most of the grass in the silflay grounds. Nevertheless, the Efrafan guards kept to the standards that were in place, like its strict schedule for the Marks. The only guard to look upon with any sign of pity was Campion, who watched as the Captains of the current Mark that their silflay was over before leading them back underground for the next Mark's time. Looking away for a brief moment, he saw Vervain returning with his Wide Patrol… with one less Corporal than when they left. He went up towards the Patrol, addressing Vervain. "Any luck?"

"None. The outsiders' gull was spotted earlier, taunting us into following it… again," Vervain boasted. "Of course, _I_ knew better. He's too sly to make such mistakes."

"Well, at least we're not falling for more of its tricks." Campion looked around at the Patrol. "You're missing one of my bucks, Vervain. Where's Larch? Elil?"

"No. He was sick, so I abandoned him. No use for a rabbit near death in Efrafa."

"I _trusted_ you to watch out for my bucks."

"And _I_ told you that I would carry out the General's orders for the Patrol. Either way, Larch was so sick he was going to die sooner or later. If not today, then tomorrow or the next day, or perhaps when Inlé was full. Either way he died for Efrafa, and that is the end of it." Campion let out a bitter growl at how Vervain treated officers not under his command as the ugly buck continued, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some flayrah in my burrow waiting, and you have yourself a Wide Patrol to lead soon."

Vervain hopped off, leaving Campion very disturbed. He did not want to admit it, but he knew that changes had to be made. Not just for the slaves, but for the Owsla as well. He hopped into the tunnels to speak with the General, suspecting that he may not want to hear his report… but he had to hear it nonetheless.

* * *

Before leaving, Hazel instructed Silver to be in charge until his return. Silver eagerly agreed to take the job, having experience from his late uncle. "One more thing. Make sure you all stay alert for Efrafan patrols and make sure no one wanders too far from the warren," Hazel finished on his instruction.

"You can count on me, Hazel-rah." Silver saluted, obediently. "I won't fail you. Besides, the last one won't be an issue, concerning all the rain."

Hawkbit, however, voiced his concern for Hazel's plan to convince an Efrafan captain to join them. "Do you all _really_ think Campion will come in with us?"

"All we can do is ask, Hawkbit," Lily replied, "though I hope Campion will say yes."

"Right then. Let's move out." And Hazel lead his group out of the burrows.

* * *

At the same time, Campion had just wandered into the Chief's burrow unannounced to voice his concerns, despite the injuries and deaths endured by other officers who voiced their concerns before.

"The mudslides from all the rain has covered much of the grass in Efrafa, and with the current schedule for the Marks," Campion explained, "your subjects aren't eating enough. They need more time above ground, sir, or at least range farther for food."

The General was silent for a moment before he asked, "Which of the silflay grounds have been least affected by the mudslides?"

"The… the North grounds, sir, but there's not enough to-"

"Redirect all Marks' silflays to the North. Then they'll have enough. Now, if that is all you wish to inform me, then-"

"Actually, there's more, General. Your subjects are weak. Some are becoming ill. If disease breaks out, none of them will survive. I suggest redirecting some of our Wide Patrols to finding herbs and roots to-"

"Doing that would waste precious effort in finding Thlayli's warren… but _perhaps_ we can use this to our advantage. Have all the guards sort out the sickly in Efrafa… and pen them in the Deep Burrows. This will keep disease from breaking out _and_ deter any further escapes from Efrafa. Anything else bothering you, Campion?"

"Yes, sir. The continual Patrols to find Thlayli and his warren are destroying the Owsla. They're exhausted and sick. Vervain lost one of my Corporals due to sickness, and many more good soldiers have been lost to weasels and badgers. We can't risk losing any more, _especially_ in this weather, sir."

"Then find the outsiders' warren, Captain!" Woundwort bellowed. "Bring me Thlayli, Lily, Holly, Bluebell or Fiver, and it all stops. Now, if that all you wish to discuss, you have a Patrol to lead. Dismissed."

"Sir, I…" Campion paused before continuing. "Yes, sir." He turned around and headed out of the burrow, greatly disappointed that even with all that was going on, the General showed little to no concern for his people, shooting down the grievances without giving his Captain's suggestions any consideration.

* * *

Taking a short cut beneath the secret underground cavern seemed like a better option rather than going out in the cold rain to find Campion. Hazel took Fiver, Bigwig, Lily, Holly, Hyzenthlay and Pipkin with him to the stream in the cavern where the exit was located at the far end of the tunnel. To their surprise, the water level had risen higher and became a large underground river, almost to the point of overflowing.

"Look how high the stream's getting," Bigwig commented. "We should be careful when going in."

"From all the rain, I suppose," Fiver added.

"All the c-c-cold rain." Pipkin shivered when he dipped his hind paw in the water and felt the cold temperature.

Holly noticed his mate had kept her distance a little way off as Hyzenthlay stared silently and worriedly at the ground. He hopped over to her, asking, "You're awfully quiet, dear. Is something wrong?"

"Efrafa is out there, so close," Hyzenthlay sighed, dismally. "I still have nightmares about it... about my sister's death... Nettle's betrayal... my execution... If Woundwort finds me and takes me back, he'll have me killed."

"Not while I'm here," Holly declared, silently fuming at the thought of losing his mate to the enemy. He affectionately nuzzled his nose against her cheek. "I promise you this, I will never let anyone take you away from me again."

"Right, let's go!" Hazel shouted, gaining their attention so they could get started on their quest.

Together, the rabbits leapt into the water. It was very cold, but it never prevented them from swimming their way through the tunnel. It wasn't long before the group reached the end of the tunnel, passing through the willow curtain and headed for the river's bank underneath an old tree.

"Some adventures are more fun than others, aren't they, Bigwig?" Pipkin questioned.

"Well, I've been on a few dryer ones," Bigwig answered, smiling.

"Took you long enough! I'm ready for action!" Kehaar shouted as he flew over their heads close by.

The Watership rabbits headed for the half-broken bridge, where they knew the Efrafan guards will be coming soon. They concealed themselves underneath the bridge to avoid detection.

"Sooner or later, Campion will come across the old bridge," Hazel instructed, "and we'll be ready."

A few drops of water landed on Pipkin's face, to his chagrin. "Sooner is better."

"But how do we draw his attention to us when Kehaar takes care of the guards?" Holly questioned.

After thinking it over, Lily volunteered, "I'll do it."

"You what?!" Bigwig gawked at her, incredulously.

"Please, Campion is bound to listen once I'm right there, after all we've been through in the human's greenhouse."

Hazel considered her request for a moment, then he agreed, "If that's what you intend to do."

"But, Hazel-" Bigwig protested, but he was ignored the second the Efrafan Wide Patrol approached the bridge from above.

The Watership rabbits huddled together, getting into positions. Lily decided to wait until Kehaar performs his hawk act to scare off the guards, then she can talk to Campion. She hoped this plan will work to convince Campion to join their side.

Campion and his Owsla had stopped to rest on the bridge, after a long and tiresome journey throughout the area still searching for the outsiders. The rain made it more difficult of finding them, especially making some of the Efrafan bucks catch a cold, but none was worse than the unfortunate Larch. Learning of his death, Campion boiled silently in a rage at Vervain abandoning Larch to his death. By the time Campion and his patrol discovered Larch's corpse, all they found was his body with little fur and flesh left.

"Right, I know you're all tired," the brown buck calmly yet sternly addressed his officers, "and you've seen what happened to poor Larch, but the future of Efrafa depends on us finding Thlayli and his outsiders. Let's do it this time."

No sooner had the patrol set one step upon the bridge, Kehaar swooped down on them with a violent screech. He struck two officers in their faces, the impact sent them flying over the edge and landed in the river. Luckily, they swam for shore and ran off. The other two officers decided to turned tail and retreated.

"Come back!" Campion roared, furious at their cowardice. "You're Owsla!"

Kehaar maneuvered and headed for the Owsla Captain, but Campion tried to swipe his claws at this nuisance of a bird. Fortunately, Kehaar dodged those claws and knocked him off his feet. Anger fueled his core as Campion struggled to get back on his feet and resume his attacking the gull, when he heard a female voice.

"Hello, Campion." There stood Lily at the edge of the bridge, looking so graceful and beautiful in the rain.

Campion's blue eyes widened, and his anger instantly replaced by joy. "Lily, you've come back!" he cried, thrilled to see her as he hurried over to her. "You look well," was all he could say, trying to start a conversation.

For a brief second, Lily let her guard down as she began to smile at him. The doe had never seen him smile before, it's like he'd become a different rabbit, one who'd be worthy of joining her warren. "Same to you," she replied.

Witnessing his mate's behavior in front of what he believed to be a rival trying to steal his beloved doe, Bigwig suddenly lunged out of his hiding spot and roared, tackling the Efrafan Captain to the ground. Lily was shocked by her mate's actions and tried to stop him from starting a brawl with Campion, but her pleas were ignored.

Hazel and Holly rushed in to put an end to this, although they assisted in subduing the Owsla Captain so he could not free himself. Realizing it was a trap all along, an enraged Campion struggled to claw or bite at his captors to escape. It was no good, as the bucks had him restrained.

"Settle down, Campion," Holly reasoned. "We just want to talk."

"Seems I have no choice," Campion panted, reluctantly giving up.

The Watership rabbits ushered the Owsla Captain to follow them through a bush, whilst a saddened Lily lolloped far behind them. She noticed Hyzenthlay gazing at Campion with uneasy distrust.

"This better work," the doe grunted, "because if it doesn't-"

"It _will_ work!" Lily snarled at her, but in silence she began to have mixed feelings about this. On the one paw, Campion can be persuaded on Woundwort leading his warren down a dark path and agree to help spy on Woundwort's latest moves. On the other paw, Campion might falsely pretend to work for us and betray their warren's location to Woundwort. The doe didn't know what to think anymore, but she wanted to remain hopeful this will work.

"I want your word as an officer you won't run until you heard us out," Hazel warned the Efrafan buck to keep this promise.

"You have it," Campion accepted, but he stole a cold scowl in Bigwig's direction. "Unlike Thlayli's, my word means something."

"I'd watch your lip, old son!" Bigwig growled as he gave him a scathing glare.

"What does he mean, Bigwig? You always tell the truth," Pipkin asked, curiously.

Bigwig began to stutter, slightly embarrassed that the young buck wouldn't think he'd tell myths. "Uhh… Usually, yes. He's just got a stiff neck about my spying on Efrafa."

Campion raised an eyebrow, puzzled at this new name. "Bigwig? Wasn't your name Thlayli?"

"It is, but everyone calls him Bigwig," Hyzenthlay cut him off. "And you're not the only one with a stiff neck about Efrafa," she added, icily.

"Why is that?" Pipkin inquired.

Lily decided to briefly explain the Efrafan buck's history with Hyzenthlay's late sister. "Primrose used to be in a romantic relationship with Campion, until Woundwort had her executed."

"You claimed to have loved her when in reality you never did!" Hyzenthlay scowled, her icy blue eyes narrowed at the Owsla Captain.

"I _did_ love her!" Campion retorted, burying his claws in the dirt. "She may have betrayed me, but you really think I'd let her die?!"

"And why should we believe you?" Bigwig refused to believe him. "When it looked like you're trying to steal my doe to replace a lost love!"

"I never tried to steal Lily from you!"

"You're a liar!"

"**SHUT IT!** **BOTH OF YOU!**" Holly snapped, pushing himself between the two bucks before anything else could happen. "We came here to talk, not to quarrel over does!"

"Fine, but my Owsla will be looking for me," Campion said. "What do you have to say?"

Hazel decided to get straight to the point of their visit. "This war between our warrens is hurting us all. It has to stop!"

"It will, when you've been destroyed."

"Easier said than done, mate." Bigwig snorted.

"Remember what I told you about being a good rabbit than being a good solider?" Holly attempted to reason with the brown buck. "I've been through exactly what I have back in Sandleford. I followed orders from the Threarah, unaware of the coming danger to our warren. When it was too late, I realized how wrong I've been about Hazel-rah and his companions."

"Woundwort preaches hate and violence." Lily wanted a say in this as well. She recalled their earlier conversation back at the greenhouse. "You don't believe in him, Campion. I know you don't. Primrose knew it too."

"He's my chief!" Campion declared his loyalty to Woundwort.

"You risked your life to stop his cruelty. You risked your life to save my life... You even risked your life to try to save Primrose."

"And then, Primrose tried to leave me after all we've been through together."

"Because she knew life in Efrafa... without freedom and hope isn't worth living. Do you think watching your officers take advantage of does through rape and abuse is worth living? Do you think forbidding the does to sing is worth living? Do you think Larch's suffering is worth living?" Lily gazed up at him with pleading and hopeful eyes. "Help us, Campion. Help Efrafa."

"How?" Campion demanded.

"Lead your Owsla against Woundwort," Hazel answered, providing words of encouragement and motivation. "Take command. Save your people!"

Campion's stomach churned uneasy. Lily's questions pierced through his stomach like a rifle's bullet. He turned away, miserably. He remembered seeing his officers and the slaves silflaying in the rain, their appearances thin and worn out. He recalled how cruelly Vervain abandoned Larch to die. He recalled how Woundwort couldn't care less about his own people and dismissed the Captain's concerns. But most of all… he remembered Larch, a buck that was under his command, left for dead all too soon. Campion could see at once that Woundwort's leadership is destroying Efrafa, but he grew torn between his conflicted feelings for helping his people and his loyalty to the General.

"We'll meet you here at Frithdown." Hazel didn't want to push Campion any further and give him time to think about it. "Give us your answer then."

As the rabbits turned to head back to their warren, Campion called out to the ginger doe, "Lily, are you happy where you are now?"

Pausing, Lily turned around and smiled at him. "Yes, Campion. I am." She rejoined the others, where Bigwig waited impatiently for her.

"I still don't trust him," the lion buck grumbled, following her across the field to keep up with the others.

"We just need to take Campion with a pinch of salt every now and then," the doe advised, using the same words that were used against Hawkbit when it came to questioning Fiver's visions one time. "But why would you accuse Campion of trying to steal me away?"

"It's just that..." Bigwig hesitated, "every time you talk about him, I see a look in your eyes that sounds like you're smitten with him."

To his surprise, Lily began to giggle like a school girl as she assured her mate, "There's no need for you to think such things, Bigwig. I have no romantic feelings for him, but it's called an admiration for Campion." Her face fell in a dismal frown. "But I also feel sorry for him. He loved Primrose so much, and to lose someone he loved to Woundwort's monstrosity... it's horrible. I mean, how would you feel if me and our babies had been killed by Woundwort?"

Bigwig stiffened as he drew in a sharp gasp, almost reminding the doe of the time he was caught in a snare. He grabbed her shoulders, eyes filled with alarm. "Lily, don't ever talk such nonsense! You should _never_ speak like that! I don't want to lose you the same way Campion lost Primrose. You're my doe, and I love you and our babies. I'd never let Woundwort or anyone else harm you... and our children. So, don't ever speak of getting yourself or our babies killed by Woundwort again! _CLEAR_?!"

Lily was slightly disturbed to see her mate's violent reaction, but he loved her more than life itself and therefore had the right to be concerned. "I-I understand, Bigwig." She felt his paws tightened on her shoulders. "Can you let me go now, please?" And he released his hold on her, resuming their journey home.

The second Campion left the Watership rabbits, he had no idea that Vervain and his patrol had just arrived at the river for a drink when the bearded buck noticed Thlayli and his band of outsiders emerge from the undergrowth on the other side of the bridge, later on Campion appeared not long after heading toward the bridge. Vervain was surprised when he witnessed Campion glancing over his shoulder to watch the outsiders leave. He ordered his Owsla to take cover in the brambles as Campion passed them by. Suspicious of Campion's behavior, Vervain decided to interrogate him later. Right now, the outsiders were more important.

Too bad for Vervain that Kehaar had spotted him and alerted the outsiders, warning, "Run like bunnies! Ugly Vervain is after you!"

"Everyone, to the cave!" Bigwig commanded. "Stay off the sand so not to make tracks!"

The Watership rabbits darted across the grassy embankment, staying together so not to get separated nor fall into the river if one of them slipped. Hazel ordered everyone to hop over the embedded boulders when he heard the Efrafans were gaining on them. Luckily, they managed to find their warren's secret tunnel entrance through the willow tree's curtain that lead them back to the caverns. Again, the rabbits had to swim inside the tunnel until they got back to dry ground. In the distance behind them, they could listen to Vervain commanding his officers to move out.

"I think they're going away," Pipkin reported, sighing in relief.

"That was a near thing," Holly panted.

"Campion looks so thin and sad," Lily said. "Things must be bad in Efrafa. No wonder Larch wanted the war to end before he died."

"Do you think he'll throw in with us?" Fiver asked.

"Even if things are bad enough, it'd still be hard to betray your chief," Bigwig added, "…even if it _is_ Woundwort."

"But what if Vervain saw us with Campion?" Hyzenthlay worried.

"If he did, Campion may not have the chance," Hazel agreed, but he knew something else. "Woundwort trusts Campion a lot. Campion is too clever to be deceived by Vervain's methods if he tries to overthrow him. But we can't forget about Orchis. He's worse than Vervain when he had Nettle for a spy."

"Well, I'm sure Campion can outsmart those two idiot brothers if either one of them tried to expose him," Lily said, hopefully.

* * *

Meanwhile, Campion made his return to Efrafa, where to his surprise, a majority of the Owsla, save for the guards on duty watching the slaves, were not present above ground. Suddenly, Corporal Moss emerged from the main entrance to approach his Captain.

"We wondered if you'd get back. The General's waiting for your report from the Patrol," he told the brown buck before hopping with him to lead him to the General's burrow, this time with a majority of the Captains and the entire Council in the burrow.

"You're overdue, Captain Campion. What kept you?" General Woundwort questioned.

Campion briefly surveyed his surroundings, figuring this was the same situation they put Bigwig in during his interrogation in Efrafa. And no doubt Vervain, Orchis, or both of them were responsible for orchestrating this. He had to tread carefully as Bigwig did. "I was touring the perimeter, sir. Thinking."

The General turned to Vervain, silently signaling him to give his report. "Captain Campion… met with Thlayli and a small band of his outsiders…and his mate, Lily, was the one to draw him into it. There was no fight, no attempt at capture," he reported as he slowly circled around the brown buck. "Do you deny it, Campion?"

"No," Campion replied straightforward.

The General let out a deep growl at this response while the Owsla and Council looked on. "No?...Is that all you have to say, Campion?"

"No, sir. They asked me to betray Efrafa."

This comment, of course, got a subtle but visible remark from Campion's fellow Owsla members, save for Orchis with a weaselly smirk and Vervain who appeared vindicated at a chance to tear his rival down.

"I knew it! I told you!" Vervain exclaimed.

"What's more..." Campion added with a sly grin, "I let them believe I would. Once I have earned their trust, they'll lead me to their warren. Then we'll destroy them all."

Vervain and Orchis immediately changed their faces to shocked silence as their plot to remove Campion from his position had taken a turn for the worse, while Woundwort himself allowed a slight smirk at this plan.

"Mmmmm… you're a rabbit after my own heart, Captain Campion. We've got them now. We will _grind their_ _bones_…" he remarked before letting out a low, sinister chuckle.

"And you two dolts accused Campion of treason like fools." Sainfoin seethed in haughty disbelief at the speechless Orchis and Vervain.

* * *

After their first meeting, everyone decided to rest in the cavern and wait until sunset, so they can return to the meeting place where Campion will make his decision. To take their minds off the boredom, Holly challenged Fiver in a game of Bob-Stones. The Owsla Captain found himself baffled by the runt maintaining his dominance whenever he played. Hyzenthlay joined in and the doe won her first game of Bob-Stones against Holly, but he never complained. Pipkin wandered off to explore the cavern's little waterfall, until a little high-pitched voice alarmed him.

"HI, PIPKIN!" It was Aubretia, wagging her little tail and smiling at him.

Poor Pipkin lost his balance and fell on the little waterslide, carrying him to a small pool where he landed with a splash. Hazel, Bigwig and Lily worriedly rushed forward to fish out the young buck, but Pipkin emerged from the water, shallow enough for him to stand in. He crawled out of the pool and shook the water's contents off his fur.

"Aubretia, what are you doing here? You're supposed to stay with the other kittens!" Bigwig sternly scolded his young daughter.

"I'm sorry, Father. But I missed you and Mother a lot," Aubretia explained, sadly. "I like playing with the other kittens, but Basil is so mean and Celandine is so bossy. Can I stay with you?"

"Of course, you can, sweetie." Lily nuzzled her daughter's forehead. "But your father and I will have important business to attend to in a while so... uhhh, how long has it been since we got back, Hazel?"

"I don't know," Hazel said. "Pipkin, go out and make sure if it's Frithdown."

Pipkin obeyed and he bounded off toward the stream by the tunnel. When he left, Aubretia decided to play on the little waterfall slide. The three adult rabbits simply gazed up at the cavern's ceiling in wonder, lost in thought.

"Strange that Frith would make something so beautiful, then hide it away beneath the world," Hazel commented.

"He does it with his creatures too," Lily replied, glancing over at the lion buck. "Like Bigwig... and Campion."

"What do you mean?" Bigwig inquired, puzzled.

"On the outside, you're both hard, cold and unfeeling..." Lily noticed the hard frown Bigwig gave her so she quickly explained her comparing the lion buck and Campion to the Chief Rabbit of the warren, "but inside... you're both a bit like Hazel."

Her answer was proven correct as Aubretia climbed out of the pool, Bigwig picked her up and gave her head tuft a quick washing before she pulled away, rubbing her head in disgust, but the lion buck just chuckled.

"Well, I'm just looking out for my little ones and for my mate!" Bigwig boasted with pride, giving Lily a quick kiss on the cheek that made her blush.

"Frith creates us, but we make ourselves who we are," Hazel said, grinning at his Captain's affectionate attention toward his mate and daughter.

Just then, Pipkin swam back to shore when he returned from the outside. "It's nearly Frithdown," he reported, panting. "And it's _still_ raining."

"Right, we better get to the meeting place." Hazel gestured the male members, minus Pipkin, to head for the stream.

But as Lily came close to joining them, Bigwig firmly placed a paw on her chest to stop her as he said, "Stay here, darling. We don't know what will happen when we get there. You can help Hyzenthlay keep an eye on Pipkin and Aubretia."

"Come along and stay here, fine!" Pipkin pouted, for he had been so eager to go with the bucks.

"Don't worry, we can play tail-tag before they come back," Aubretia suggested sweetly, much to Pipkin's chagrin.

Hyzenthlay came towards the shore just as the bucks jumped into the water, still doubtful about Campion. "What if you're wrong about Campion? What if it's a trap?"

"That's why neither you nor Lily are not coming," Hazel answered, sharing his thoughts with Bigwig of fearing the does will be captured or killed.

Lily understood that her Chief Rabbit and her mate only wanted to keep them safe, and who knows what's going to occur at the meeting place with Campion. She silently prayed her hope of winning Campion over will be worth it.

"They'll be all right," pointed out Pipkin, hiding behind Lily from Aubretia. "They're the smartest rabbits in the world… except from El-ahrairah."

As soon as the buck rabbits of Watership Down made it outside the tunnel and out of the water back up on shore, they met up with Kehaar as the gull circled and hovered over their heads.

"I try to scout the area, but it's not easy seeing in this damn weather," he informed them. "Could be a whole Efrafan army hiding in mist to catch you."

"I suppose we'll just have to risk it," Hazel suggested, unsure. "Stay close, Kehaar, but out of sight."

"Near but far… this I like..." Kehaar remarked with intrigue as he flew back into the air.

The rabbits shared their small doubts of Campion's loyalty, but like their Chief said, they will just have to risk finding out when they get there. The group took the same path where they located the bridge in the first place, and to the disclosed clearing where there stood Captain Campion, whose eyes widened upon their arrival.

"Well, Campion, have you thought things over?" Hazel asked.

"Yes, and I've decided that you're right," Campion responded, sincerely. "There's no reason for our warrens to fight. It's time to stop this madness."

"Well said, Campion." Bigwig smiled with relief. "It's a new day for all of us."

Before any of the other Watership rabbits could speak, a familiar and weaselly voice sneered, "Hah! It's your _last_ day, Thlayli!"

To their horror, Vervain emerged out of the bushes accompanied by eight other officers as they all surrounded the petrified Watership rabbits, all instantly scowling in Campion's direction, believing what they suspected could happen all along: an ambush. But Campion was clearly not expecting the most hated Captain in the Owsla to follow him, let alone ruin the moment.

"We might fall, but you'll die before me, Campion!" Bigwig snarled, enraged at this unexpected turn of events and turned on the mortified Campion.

"I knew nothing of this!" the Efrafan Captain tried to explain himself. "If we fall, we fall together!"

Vervain gasped at the brown buck's treachery. "Oh, I knew you were a traitor, Campion! Attack! _KILL THEM ALL_!"

"Don't move until I tell you." Campion murmured to the distrustful Watership rabbits.

"Not sure I trust you anymore, sport," Bigwig grunted.

"We have nothing to lose. What else can we do?" Holly knew this was no time for an argument as they needed to get out of here as soon as possible.

"Follow me!" Campion ordered, lunging himself at Vervain, knocking him to the ground.

No one needed to be told twice the Watership rabbits took off, keeping close to Campion. The bucks still didn't trust him after accusing him of betraying their trust, but no one wanted to start a fight whilst being pursued by the Efrafan Owsla. They made it to the riverbank, their powerful back legs assisted their escape as they raced across the field, almost as fast as El-ahrairah.

"Once we've lost them, we'll need a place to hide!" Campion shouted.

"We head back to the cave!" Bigwig yelled.

"No, it's too close!" Hazel refused. "Vervain will find it."

"Well, where then?"

"Follow me, I have an idea!"

Some of the Efrafan Owsla membered cornered them when they lunged out at them from the brambles, but Holly and Bigwig rushed forward and tackled the officers, sending them falling into the river.

In the back of his mind, Bigwig silently prayed that Lily and Aubretia, including Pipkin, are still safely hidden within the cave and out of danger.

* * *

Back inside the cavern, Lily tried to keep herself amused by playing Bob-Stones with the two kittens so not to fret worriedly over her friends' visit with Campion. Hyzenthlay kept pacing back and forth, leaving trail marks in her steps, quietly muttering nonsense that Lily could hardly understood, and it was beginning to bother her.

"WOULD YOU CUT IT OUT?!" the mother doe snapped, her reaction startling both of the kittens. "I'm sure Hazel and the others will be alright. Why don't you find something to do to keep yourself amused?"

"I can't help it!" Hyzenthlay shook her head in deep concern. "They should have been back by now."

"I'll go look for them," Pipkin offered, hurrying over to the edge of the stream.

"I wanna go too!" Aubretia hopped over, eager to join him.

"No way! You're too young!"

"I am not!"

The two kittens started to bicker and scuffle like immature children, but they failed to realize the stream had begun to overflow due to the rainstorm, and in the process, they tumbled over and plunged into the water. Breaking the surface, the kittens gasped and coughed, then struggled to get back to shore but failed.

"Lily! Hyzenthlay, help!" Pipkin yelled, helplessly drifting along the current. "I can't touch the bottom!"

"Mother, help me!" Aubretia wailed, as she couldn't swim properly, being a very young kitten.

Frenzied with distress, Lily rushed over to the streamline and jumped into the water to save them. "We're coming!" she cried.

Hyzenthlay dashed forward in attempt to grab the kittens, but she missed. The current was picking up speed and it was too strong. It carried the helpless kittens toward the tunnel's exit. As soon as the little rabbits were out of the cave, the current from the river was too strong as it carried them downstream.

The two kittens tried to grab hold of the willows by the entrance, but the branches broke off. Lily soon became caught in the current, but she grabbed ahold of a stronger branch, watching helplessly as her own kit and Pipkin cried out for help. Fortunately, Hyzenthlay was there to help Lily out of the water.

"We must find the others and tell them!" Lily cried, almost close to a panic as she feared for her kitten's life, including young Pipkin's life.

Hyzenthlay nodded in understanding, and the two does took off to find their friends.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hazel and his bucks had to escape from Vervain as quickly as possible. Although Campion made it quite clear of remaining unaware of the ambush, he felt an uneasy pain in his stomach of the accusations of treachery and betrayal aimed directly at him from both warrens. He was quite good at lying to get himself out of trouble with Vervain, but how could he fix this mess he had gotten himself into? He noticed a bunch of cows grazing in the field close to a nearby abandoned tractor. This gave Campion an idea to escape their pursuers.

"Quick, over there!" the Owsla Captain shouted.

The rabbits, though still doubtful of him, decided to take their chances and followed the Owsla Captain into the cows' field. They made it in time, just as Vervain and his officers arrived. Fortunately, neither of the Owsla members could find them as most of them were intimidated by the cows glaring in their direction.

"Heh! First, they're afraid of bees; _now_ they're afraid of cows," Vervain chucked. "Now _that's_ a good one."

All of a sudden, a disgruntled bull rammed his horns at the intruder, sending the cowardly buck flying through the air and tumbled a few acres away from the field. Vervain was more than badly hurt, but not enough to be seriously hurt. The Efrafan officers retreated when the bull snorted and bellowed angrily.

Cowardly as ever, Vervain shouted, "Let's get out of here!" And they all retreated.

Bigwig almost snickered at the Efrafans' being attacked by a cow, but he sensed there was something amidst going here at present. "We lost them a little too _easily_, don't you think?" The lion buck scowled at Campion, silently scorning.

"It was _supposed_ to be harder," Campion explained.

"What are you playing at, Campion?" Hazel demanded, looking just as cross as Bigwig is.

"And just what are the rules?" Fiver added with suspicion.

"Woundwort planned the ambush," Campion confessed. "You're supposed to think I'm on your side."

"And _are_ you?" Bigwig inquired, frowning.

"I wouldn't be telling you this if I wasn't. I'm expected to find your warren and report back to Woundwort." Poor Campion sighed miserably, leaning his head against the cows' feeder box. "I hate this... I don't know who I am anymore."

Giving the brown buck his space, Hazel ushered the others a little further off and whispered, "Is he _really_ on our side or is it just an act?"

"I just don't know anymore," Bigwig confessed, looking equally as lost as his friends are.

"It's all rather unrabbit-like. Lies are so confusing," Fiver added.

"But what if he is serious about it all?" Holly guessed.

Before anyone else could speak, the rabbits' ears pricked up when they heard two distressed female voices in the mist.

_"Pipkin! Aubretia! Where are you?"_

_"Aubretia, it's mommy! Answer me!"_

Alarmed, the Watership rabbits ran as fast as they could to where Lily and Hyzenthlay are. Campion also heard their calls and he grew concerned when he realized something was wrong. The bucks located the two does at the river, where a frantic Lily was already crying her eyes out.

"Lily! Hyzenthlay! What happened?" Hazel asked, urgently.

"It's Pipkin and Aubretia!" Lily shouted frantically, her eyes red with tears and her voice choked through shuttered breathing. "The water just stole them away. We tried to save them, but the current was too strong. We can't find them anywhere! What if they drowned?!"

Bigwig was stunned, his eyes widened in horror. How could this happen to his daughter and to poor Pipkin? If only he had stayed behind or sent them back to the warren. He placed a comforting arm around Lily's shoulders and stroked her back soothingly. The lion maned buck was always good at masking his emotions, but his heart broke now that he lost his daughter, but to Pipkin, he felt like he had lost another son if Basil had been taken away by the river.

Hazel and Fiver exchanged concerned faces, but neither of them knew what to say to help the situation. Holly pressed his forehead against Hyzenthlay's head, noticing a small river of tears streaming down her cheeks.

"If they're out there, we'll find them," Campion spoke softly, trying to reach a paw out to comfort Lily.

But Hyzenthlay grew furious, refusing to allow an enemy to comfort one of them. She turned on him and scratched his paw away to prevent him from touching her friend. "**IF THERE WAS NO EFRAFA, NO WOUNDWORT, WE WOULDN'T BE OUT HERE!**" she screamed at the brown buck. "**PRIMROSE AND NETTLE WOULD STILL BE ALIVE!**"

Campion regretted his choice of words, he only tried to help but it made the situation far worse, now that two small kittens were lost out in the rain storm. The rest of the bucks aimed dirty looks in his direction, except for Lily. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

Just then, Kehaar came to a crash landing. He had been searching for the Watership rabbits when he found their location. "What's going on? Bad news?" he asked.

"_Very_ bad! Pipkin and Aubretia are missing, we need your help in finding them!" Hazel yelled. "Take Fiver, Holly and Hyzenthlay, and search down-river."

"Don't worry, we find the lost kits!" Kehaar obeyed, now suddenly concerned for the missing little rabbits.

No sooner had the others left, Bigwig stayed behind with Hazel and Campion. The two of them were debating on what to do with Campion. If he left them, he might reveal the location of their warren to Woundwort. Neither of them trusted the Owsla Captain. Lily noticed their irked eyes slightly twitching as they stared at him, worrying her.

"Why don't we kill him, just to be on the safe side?" Bigwig raised his paws, extending his sharp claws as he prepared to draw blood. If anything happened to Aubretia or Pipkin, he would kill this hufsa for good.

"No, Bigwig!" Lily immediately threw herself between the two bucks.

"Stand aside, lass!" The lion buck commanded angrily, but the doe refused to bunch an inch.

Instead of putting up a fight, Campion stayed calm and spoke reasonably, "I know you don't trust me."

"You've got that right, hufsa!"

"I'm going back to Efrafa. I'll tell Woundwort you saw through my ploy. I'll work against him from the inside."

Hazel and Bigwig's angered distrust faded to shock and disbelief, especially Lily. Hadn't Vervain figured it out when Campion saw them with him? He might report to Woundwort of Campion's betrayal and the brown buck would be slaughtered to death.

"You're mad!" Hazel warned. "They won't believe you! Woundwort will kill you!"

"I can _make_ them all believe if you help me." Gradually, Campion focused his attention at Bigwig. "It has to look like I fought for the glory and honor of Efrafa. You understand, don't you, Bigwig?" This time, he no longer called him _Thlayli._

Bigwig stared at the Owsla Captain, then he felt something other than hatred or jealousy toward him. It was admiration. Campion was willing to go this far to help them, even if it killed him. The lion buck slowly began to realize this might be one of the reasons why Lily admired Campion so much and how wrongly he behaved when he jumped to conclusions of questioning Campion's loyalty. "I'll take care of it," he agreed.

"What? No, you can't!" Lily realized what was about to happen and she immediately disapproved of the idea.

"Go catch up with Kehaar and the others!"

Lily still protested, but Hazel nudged her to go onward. What Bigwig will do next to Campion would be unpleasant for Lily to witness. With no other choice, the doe trudged after Hazel.

"I'll make it quick, Campion."

In the distance behind Lily and Hazel, the two rabbits could hear Campion's cries of pain and agony as Bigwig did what he always did in combat. To Lily, the cries felt like nails on a chalk board. Hazel put a comforting paw on her shoulder, assuring her that Campion will be alright. He, too, started to feel an admiration for Campion, nor did he approve of Campion's plan. The two rabbits caught up with their friends at the riverbank, all of them were in miserable silence.

"Did you find them?" Lily asked.

"No, there's not a trace of Pipkin or Aubretia," Holly reported, lowering his head in shame.

At that moment, Bigwig arrived with a saddened yet sickening frown. His paws and mouth stained with blood, which the rain water washed away. "Campion's gone back to Efrafa," his voice was dry and hoarse.

"What happened back there?" Holly demanded, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

"I'll explain later. Right now, Aubretia and Pipkin are more important!" No sooner Bigwig spoke, the rest of the gang rushed further downstream to continue their search for the missing kits.

* * *

However, neither Pipkin nor Aubretia were still lost in the river. They had the unfortunate rescue from drowning by Vervain and his Owsla, right after their escape from the cows. Realizing these two lost kits were members of Thlayli's warren, Vervain forcibly dragged them back to Efrafa. The two kittens shuddered at the state of the warren, all of those staring cold eyes of the Owsla officers and the darkness of the warren's tunnels.

When learning of whom Vervain found, Woundwort correctly deduced by Aubretia's appearance that she must be Thlayli and Lily's daughter, but he wrongly assumed Pipkin must be their son. He carefully thought up a devious plan that could destroy Thlayli and his outsiders forever. He met the frightened kits in the Council's chamber whilst the youngsters stared at him with a mixture of fear and awe.

"Uncle Bluebell is right," Aubretia whispered to her friend. "Woundwort IS the biggest rabbit in the world."

"You're lucky that Captain Vervain found you, little ones." The General smiled at the scared young kits.

Pipkin bravely shielded Aubretia as she trembled at this massive heavily scarred rabbit before them as he replied, "We won't tell you anything, so you might as well just kill me! But leave Aubretia out of this!"

Woundwort chuckled at the young buck's courage, masking his wickedness with a false kindness as he feigned shock. "What sort of stories have you been hearing about me? I'd never do that. You're both my guests." He glanced down at Groundsel and Moss, ordering, "Show the little ones to the best quarters in Efrafa, and make sure they get flayrah from my private store."

Stunned, Pipkin and Aubretia shared confused expressions. Neither of them understood why the General was behaving so politely to them. Although a warm and dry burrow was better than a cold and dangerous river, and a taste of flayrah did sound quite delicious to them.

"Umm, thank you... General Woundwort," Pipkin said, as he and Aubretia were led down another tunnel with Groundsel and Moss as their escorts.

"Yes... thank you, Mr. Woundwort," Aubretia added, her fear of him naively evaporating.

No sooner had the young kits left the Council's chamber, some of the bucks started to question what on earth is going through the General's mind to invite two small kits from the enemy's warren as his guests, although the rest of the officers understood what game their leader is playing at.

"I'll have those young kits thinking I'm their dear old uncle before long," Woundwort muttered, pleased to put his plan into motion.

Moss entered the chamber, looking very upset. "General, Captain Campion's returned. He's in his burrow, but it looks like those outsiders gave him a nasty thrashing."

Though slightly concerned, Woundwort left the Council's chamber and headed for his Captain's burrow, where he found Campion lying on the floor. His face and chest caked in blood and open gashes left bleeding to stain the floor. His legs were stretched far out like he had been asleep, only he wasn't tired. Bits of his ears had been chewed off. He was in a bad shape that even Woundwort found him unrecognizable as his mismatched eyes fixed upon him.

"They didn't believe me, General..." the Owsla Captain spoke weakly, "they were going to kill me... I had to fight my way out..."

"I suppose I wouldn't have believed you either, Campion." Woundwort gently took the Captain's face up to examine him and his body, but thankfully, neither of his gashes were serious. "No matter. I have a new game to play now. But for now, as soon as Vervain comes back, I'm going to have a… _chat_ with him and his brother about their recent accusations."

When the General left the burrow, Campion began to wonder what his Chief was up to. Probably something far worse than what he always seen the General does to his slaves. But he hated himself for lying to his Chief and to betray him... it was tragedy he will never get over.

* * *

The rain had finally stopped and the skies were beginning to clear up, revealing a beautiful half-moon and dazzling stars in the heavens above. But this was not the time to rejoice over the weather changing as the Watership rabbits searched high and low all over the riverbank for Pipkin and Aubretia, their search party coming to a high old stone wall.

"We'll never find them," Hyzenthlay sighed, fearing the worst.

"We have to keep searching!" Bigwig insisted, fiercely determined to find the kits.

Suddenly a familiar figure appeared at the top of the wall. It was Vervain, though his ears scratched up by the General as a punishment for his unjust accusations against Campion, and his presence forced the Watership rabbits to take cover in the tall grass.

"Outsiders!" he shouted. "I know you're out there. General Woundwort sends you a message: Thlayli-rah and Lily, you have till the moon is round to surrender to Efrafa or you'll never see your children, Pipkin and Aubretia, alive again! Remember, till the moon is round!" He pointed to the half-moon in the sky before he disappeared.

Vervain's words shot the Watership rabbits like a farmer's gun as they were filled with absolute terror. Pipkin and Aubretia had been kidnapped by their enemies, and the next round moon is only a few nights away. So, unless Bigwig and Lily give themselves up for the safety of their kits, the poor children will die.

"No..." Bigwig gasped, his eyes radiating a fury when he buried his claws in the ground.

"They've got Aubretia and Pipkin!" Lily cried, taking the news really hard as much as any mother would when her children are threatened.

"Hazel?" Fiver spoke solemnly, voicing everyone's thoughts. "What do we do?"

For the first time in his life, Hazel had no plan whatsoever to rescue two of the most precious lives everyone ever knew in their warren.


	28. Prisoners of Efrafa

Inside the warren of Watership Down, on the same night where the rabbits made the horrifying discovery of two kittens abducted and held prisoners in Efrafa, everyone gathered together for a meeting in the Honeycomb. What they just heard from Hazel and his gang seemed unbelievable, despite the seriousness in this situation.

"We're supposed to make the exchange on the riverbank near the stone bridge," Bigwig explained. "Our lives for Aubretia's and Pipkin's." He was good at masking his emotions, but no doubt he was taking it very hard as he thought about the lives of his daughter, Aubretia, and little Pipkin.

All of the rabbits, including Kehaar and Hannah, gasped in shock and fear. Lily stayed quiet this whole time, for her silence managed to show just how affected she was. Clover stole a secret glance at the distressed mother. She understood the mother's feelings, and she would have felt the same way if one of her children had been kidnapped.

"You can't surrender!" Blackberry protested, then her face fell sadly. "Even if it means losing Pipkin and Aubretia."

Hannah stared at the doe in disbelief. "Blackberry, how can you say such of thing?! It's Aubretia and Pipkin!"

"I know, Hannah, but Watership Down wouldn't last one season without Bigwig and Lily."

Captain Broom nodded his head in agreement. "I'm afraid she's right. Woundwort will be down on us like winter rain."

"But what about those two sweet little children trapped in that terrible, hellish place?!" Blossom objected.

"The good of the warren comes first," Hawkbit agreed.

Shocked, Hannah glared angrily at the grey buck. "Give up on Pipkin and Aubretia?! You think that's good?!"

Ashamed of his poor choice of words, Hawkbit stuttered nervously, "I-I-I never said that."

"NO ONE'S GIVING UP!" Hazel bellowed, thus came a silence in his command. "We won't surrender, and we won't abandon Aubretia and Pipkin either. We have a secret ally in Efrafa."

"Captain Campion," Bigwig added.

Kehaar sighed in dismay, "Ahh, but for now, Woundwort still got poor little Pipkin and Aubretia."

* * *

The next morning at Efrafa, the new slaves were outside silflaying in the grass whilst the guards kept a close watch on anyone who dared tried to escape. Well, not all of them were slaves. For deep within the dark tunnels, Pipkin and Aubretia had been given a comfortable burrow to sleep in during the night. Now they were given the best flayrah to eat for breakfast by their so-called gracious hosts; Orchis and Vervain.

"General Woundwort thought you might enjoy this flayrah, young Master Pipkin and young Mistress Aubretia," said Vervain, abruptly shoving the food toward the hungry kittens.

"Thank you." Aubretia nodded politely.

Vervain and Orchis hated every second of this, behaving nicely to the outsiders' offspring when they should be treating them like slaves. Neither of them understood why the General would do this, but the two brothers were forced to play along for their Chief's sake.

Orchis fumed silently in a rage. How dare Lily mate with Thlayli and produce his children. He had his eyes on Lily first to begin with, and she had the nerve to leave him for a bigger and stronger buck like Thlayli. Orchis stared at the female kitten. Thoughts of killing her to make Lily suffer for rejecting him raced through his mind. He could have done it quickly had the General not forbid him to do this because he had been plotting a scheme to make Thlayli and Lily surrender themselves by using their children as bait.

"What are you staring at?" Vervain's sharp voice brought Orchis back to reality.

"Kehaar says you're awfully ugly and Bigwig says your brother has a crush on Lily," Pipkin said, though he looked at the bearded buck sympathetically. "But I don't think you're all that bad."

Unfortunately, Vervain wrongly took this as an insult. "You need a lesson in manners, you snarky little pup!" He was about to raise his paw to strike him.

"Pipkin didn't mean it!" Aubretia defended her friend, trying to be brave. "He's just trying to be nice!"

"Nice, eh?" Orchis growled, finding the little doe's courage humorous. "Why don't I show you how nice I can be?" The buck prepared the claw her eyes out when...

"**ORCHIS! VERVAIN!**"

The General's booming voice made the two brothers lose all their anger which instantly turned to fear, as they had to gently pat Pipkin and Aubretia on the heads so not to disappoint Woundwort, who had come in to pay a visit to his guests.

"Uhh, General, we didn't hear you come in," Orchis smiled awkwardly.

"Perhaps you _both_ would like a lesson in obedience?" Woundwort warned them, his mismatched eyes bore down on the two brothers.

"If the General wishes to give one," Vervain said, innocently.

"He started it!" Orchis tried to pin the blame on his brother, who scowled in his direction.

"Pipkin and Aubretia are our guests," the General reminded them, approaching the kittens. "I won't tell you again." He placed a massive paw on Pipkin's shoulder as he ate a lettuce leaf and Aubretia ate a carrot, whilst she stuck her tongue out at the two brothers.

Orchis and Vervain rolled their eyes in silent disgust, then left the burrow together.

Behaving as the false polite host, Woundwort asked gently, "So, how's the flayrah today?"

"Very good," Pipkin replied, evidently happy. "Thank you, sir."

"A soft bed... a dry chamber... food... nothing wanting here, eh?"

"It's all very nice, sir. Thank you." Aubretia wagged her tail happily, but then she frowned sadly. "But I miss my parents, my siblings and my friends. Are you going to let us go soon, sir?"

"Missing your mother and father, huh? Not to worry." Woundwort bent down to take a bite of a lettuce leaf. "You'll both see them soon."

"Both?" Pipkin was puzzled, as it quickly dawned on him that the General believed the two youngsters to be related. "But Aubretia is not my sister. I don't have a mother and father, sir." The young buck glanced wretchedly at his food. "A weasel got them both."

At this point of learning the fate of Pipkin's parents and the truth of his non-relation to Thlayli's daughter, Woundwort first brushed off the fact of this tiny mistake of assuming the kittens to be siblings, because what really disturbed him the most was the fate of his family, almost exactly the same as Pipkin suffered a loss. He began recalling the deaths of his parents; his father ambushed and killed by the fox, his siblings mauled by the fox's mate. Then his mother crossing paths with the hungry weasel as they tried to escape the fire. He remembered his mother's kindhearted smile telling her sons that she loved them before she engaged the weasel in battle. But he was too fast for her, allowing the weasel to overpower and kill her in cold blood, before the horrified eyes of Woundwort and Ragwort.

Sensing there was something wrong in the Chief Rabbit's behavior, Pipkin and Aubretia exchanged concerned glances. Woundwort had not eaten the lettuce leaf and seemed to be staring into space with a look of utter horror in his mismatched eyes.

"General, what's the matter?" Pipkin asked, trying to get his attention.

Aubretia lightly tapped his arm, and the gentle touch made Woundwort come back to reality. He shook his head, then noticed the youngsters gazing at him with deep concern.

"I lost my parents, too... my mother was murdered by a weasel, my entire family slaughtered by foxes... Ragwort and I were lucky to live," Woundwort admitted, this time there was a hint of melancholy in his raspy voice as he looked down at Pipkin. "I was your age."

"I'm sorry." Pipkin's eyes widened in sorrow for the General's loss. "It's awful, isn't it?"

Aubretia's ears drooped across her cheeks as she spoke with compassion, "Life's not fair when you lose someone close to you, right?"

Woundwort stood up, he needed to leave the burrow when he felt this odd pain in his pulse. He had never felt this way before with anyone who could relate to what he suffered through, much less than dear Clover. "Well, I can't spend the whole day filling my face, can I?" he said wretchedly. "If you need anything, just ask."

The General left the burrow, leaving Pipkin and Aubretia alone to keep eating their flayrah, although neither of the kittens felt hungry anymore after learning of Woundwort's tragic childhood.

At the same time, Campion came lolloping through the tunnel. He stood to the side, standing up straight and tall, allowing his Chief Rabbit to pass by. "Captain Campion, ready to return to duty, sir!"

"Fine, good. Carry on," was all Woundwort could say.

There was something wrong with the General, as Campion had noticed. Like he seemed a bit off today. Campion decided to find out what is going on. He found Moss and Avens standing guard at the guests' burrow.

Moss noticed his Captain approached, and he smiled in relief. "You're looking better, sir. Dreadful thumping those outsiders gave you."

"Risks of the game, Moss," assured Campion, but he caught sight of a familiar young buck sitting next to a young doe in the burrow. There was no mistaking Pipkin's appearance, but the other kitten is new to him. "New prisoners, are they?" he asked.

"Guests, sir," Moss explained. " Pipkin and Aubretia from the outsiders' warren and the children of Thlayli and Lily." He peeked inside the burrow briefly to make sure they're still there. "The General's playing a fancy game of Bob-Stones. He'll release the kittens if their parents surrender."

Campion disliked where this was going, but he masked his emotions perfectly. "Really? Have they agreed to turn themselves over?"

"Not yet... I hope they do, though..." Moss suddenly had an unsure and remorseful feeling in his stomach as he took another glance in the burrow. "I'm not keen on killing Pipkin and Aubretia. I sort of like the young fellows."

"Same here," Avens confessed, with a hint of a smile. "They're cute little bouncing balls of fluff, aren't they?"

But Campion hardly listened to them. Woundwort was planning to kill Aubretia and Pipkin if the exchange goes on or not. It was too much for him to bare. They were only innocent children, but he had to keep his emotions in control. He wanted to agree with Moss and Avens to express doubt of hurting kittens, but he feared the officers would get suspicious and report him to the General, then it would be found out that he had become a spy. "You'll do as you're ordered, lads!" he exclaimed, sternly.

"Uh, yes sir!" Moss stood up straight, taken aback.

"Sorry, sir!" Avens saluted.

But no sooner had Campion gone, the two officers shared frowns of disappointment.

"I used to think he was a bit of alright, but they're all the same these officers," Moss scorned, revealing he actually had little regard for what he sees as unnecessary cruelty in Efrafa. "Cold as snow!"

"You have a point, mate." Avens agreed, sharing his thoughts with him.

* * *

Back on Watership Down outside the warren, Hazel and Bigwig gathered a small group together so to discuss a plan to rescue the kittens and defeat Woundwort for good all at the same time.

"What if we capture Vervain and Orchis, and trade them for Pipkin and Aubretia?" Hawkbit suggested.

"Woundwort wouldn't go for it," Bigwig rejected the idea, fully aware of the two brothers' unpopularity in Efrafa. "We need something clever and tricky."

Behind the small group of rabbits, Kehaar and Hannah were told to stay on the sidelines by Bigwig as they fumed over listening to the rabbits' discussing their plans.

"They fight their little rabbit wars, and they think it's only _their_ business," Hannah grumbled. "I've got ideas, too!"

"Oh, I like to get idea someday," Kehaar agreed.

"Come on, Kehaar. It's time we fix things for Aubretia and Pipkin."

"That's a good idea!"

Hannah leapt up on the gull's back and directed him to fly further down the hill to meet up with the neighbors close by and request for their assistance in rescuing Pipkin and Aubretia. Although Pipkin knew these critters better than anyone else since he was more acquainted with them and kind to all creatures on the high hills. One of them was a mole named Drumlin, who scampered for cover when he mistook Kehaar for a predator. The gull landed gracefully in front of the hole in the ground.

Hannah climbed off and called out to him, "Hey Drumlin! Come up, it's Hannah! Pipkin's in trouble, and so is Aubretia!"

The mole's head shot out of the hole, briefly startling the mouse. "Pipkin? Aubretia?" Drumlin gasped. "Oh dear! We can't have that, can we?"

"No, we can't. Now listen, spread the word out to all the critters on the down..." Hannah gave the mole instructions on what to do next which lasted all day when the news spread like wild fire.

Night had fallen on the down, but only Hazel and Fiver and Bigwig remained outside. The lion buck was using little sticks and rocks to mark up a plan to destroy Woundwort and rescue the kittens.

"So, you and Fiver are above Efrafa's main entrance, then Lily and I come out with Pipkin and Aubretia," Bigwig explained, "and you kick down some rocks."

"It's the sort of thing Woundwort expects," Hazel refused. "We'd lost half the warren if we tried it."

Bigwig's patience was wearing thin, his anger boiling up to frustration. "So, what do you suggest? Beyond giving ourselves up! All you've done is tell us what we can't do!" He swiped the rocks and sticks aggressively, then he scorned fumingly at his Chief Rabbit. "Need I remind you that my daughter is in that damn place! If anything happened to her or Pipkin, I'll never forgive you if you don't come up with a plan!"

"There's no need to start arguing, Bigwig!" Hazel stood his ground, not the least intimidated. "I know you're right on me telling you what we can't do, but I wish I could think of something."

"We're tired, maybe a little sleep will give us a fresh eye," Fiver suggested.

"We've only got until the moon is round, Fiver," Bigwig pressed on. "We need a plan now!"

Suddenly a strange bat with brownish gray fur and gleaming golden eyes flew over their heads, then caught hold of the main tree's branch and hung upside down. He spoke in what might be a European accent mixed with a Transylvanian voice, "I am called Darkling. Hannah tells me of Pipkin and Aubretia's danger. I have come to help."

"That's good of you, Darkling," Hazel said, politely.

"Uh, not to be impolite, chum..." Bigwig doubted strongly that a single bat could be of use to them, "but just how is _one_ bat is supposed to do any good?"

Darkling gave a sly chuckle. "Oh, not just _one_ of me." He gestured his wing out to the slightly half-moon where eerie sounds filled the air.

After the trio of rabbits lowered their heard to duck for cover, Fiver opened his eyes and gasped, "Look!"

The rabbits looked up and their eyes enlarged when an enormous swarm of bats filled the night sky, enough to cover the glowing moon. It was then Hazel, Fiver and Bigwig's brains clicked when they correctly deduced what Darkling is trying to tell them.

But not all of the rabbits were enthusiastic deep within the burrows of the warren. One particular doe couldn't sleep peacefully that night, dreadfully worried for the safety of her daughter and Pipkin. Lily's dream suffered from her anxiety, in which Orchis transformed into a hawk and flew screaming over a river of blood where mutilated corpses of dead rabbits floating downstream, catching hold of an unsuspecting Aubretia whilst she nibbled on some violet flowers. Next, there was Vervain driving Pipkin before him toward a shining wire in the long grass, and Pipkin's mouth dabbled with froth and blood as he choked to death. Finally, as big as a horse in a field there brooded the gigantic figure of General Woundwort, who cackled callously as the grim fates of the dead kittens, enraging Lily so much that she tried to attack the monster out of blind anger. But his superior size and strength overpowered her, slashing his massive claws down on her and slicing her body into pieces.

Awoken out of her apprehensive nightmares, Lily cried out in agony and panted heavily with sweat drenching her forehead. It took her a second to realize it was all a nightmare and she was still in her burrow with two of her three kittens, and to remember that her unfortunate daughter kidnapped by Woundwort, even Pipkin is gone. However, her concern for Pipkin made Lily think of what it would've been like if he was her son. He was always hanging around with her children the most, taking the role of a big brother figure and tasked with looking after them whenever she left the warren with her mate. Hopefully, when the kittens are ever rescued, the doe would like to adopt young Pipkin as one of her own... or _if_ the kittens will ever be saved. The memory of that gruesome nightmare made all thoughts of whatever grim fates Woundwort had planned for those kittens... no, _two_ of her children.

"Is everything alright, Lily?" Bigwig had come rushing to the entrance of their burrow, overhearing her cries and assumed the worst.

Lily turned away, not wanting to show her eyes moist with tears. "Please, leave me alone." She laid back down and tried to get some sleep.

The lion buck suddenly grew concerned and he entered the burrow to shift close beside her. "Not if it's bothering you that much. Tell me what's wrong." He put a comforting paw around her shoulder.

The doe bit her lower lip, then choked on a sob. "Ohh, Bigwig! I'm frightened! What if we can't save them in time?! Suppose Woundwort plans to kill all of us, even if we make the exchange?!" She buried her face in his broad chest, wailing uncontrollably. "I've never felt this hurt in a long time, not since I learned Henry died!"

Bigwig felt his heart break when he realized what she meant. He pressed his body against her own, nuzzling her with genuine concern. The lion buck understood the kind of hurt she was going through. "You're feeling exactly how a real mother would feel when her kittens are in danger and she feels there's nothing she could do to save them." He used his paw to turn her chin and make her look at him. "But I'd say sitting here and hoping for the best isn't going to work. We will get them back!" His green eyes shone softly with gentle solace.

Lily realized she had not talked to anyone about how she felt since her kittens' abduction, everyone seemed more interested in discussing a rescue plan. She wiped her eyes, trying to calm down on the weeping. "Do you really think so?" she asked.

"I believe it." And when Bigwig gave her a small kiss on the lips, he smiled when he could see now that Lily felt much better after her suffering in silence.

* * *

"Hop on one foot and bleat like a sheep, Vervain!" Pipkin's voice could be heard loudly in the warren. "And croak like a frog while eating flies, Orchis!"

In Efrafa one morning, Woundwort had taken the kittens out of their burrow to amuse themselves by giving commands like an Owsla captain or a chief. Vervain and Orchis were forced to do the entertainment in front of the General and several officers nearby, much to their dismay. Aubretia giggled like a school girl, finding these two mean bullies acting like animals hilarious.

"Baaa…" Vervain's impression of a sheep was lame.

"…Ribbit." Orchis' frog impersonation was no better, especially when he accidently stuck his tongue out and ate a real fly. "Yechh! I think I swallowed a bug!" he coughed, gagging.

Woundwort came over on the top of the pedestal beside the kittens, amused at the two brother officers' play acting, including Orchis swallowing a real fly. "It seems you have a flare for command, young Pipkin."

"Really?" Pipkin smiled at the compliment. "It doesn't seem that difficult."

"I wish I could give commands." Aubretia frowned and folded her arms. "But Mommy always told me that Daddy is a sexist, meaning he says does can't do anything!"

"Well, there are some warrens where does can be a leader," Woundwort assured her, and the little doe looked up at him with a face filled with hope.

Orchis hurried out of the chamber, feeling the vile taste of bug in his mouth rise up in his throat. Some of the rabbits cringed when they listened to him puking his guts outside.

Vervain resumed his spot beside Campion, still lamenting silently in disgust, "I can't keep this up much longer. And as much as I find Orchis' predicament amusing, I find it sickening that my brother and I are acting all chummy and nice to those little badger spawns!"

Campion chuckled, a little amused. "Never mind, Vervain. You're both not much of actors, anyway." Deciding he had seen the kittens doing well enough, the Owsla Captain decided to go report to Hazel in secret, to let him aware of the events going on. "Permission to check the guard, sir!" he requested. "We'll want them alert for any incursions by... the enemy." As he said that last word, his gaze landed upon the confused Pipkin and Aubretia.

After considering this for a moment, Woundwort granted his captain permission. "Carry on, Campion."

Campion bowed, and then left the chamber.

"Perhaps you'll be Captains in my Owsla someday, little ones..." Woundwort said to the young buck and doe, "just like Campion and Vervain. How's that sound?"

"Thank you, but I'd rather be like Hazel and Bigwig." Pipkin appreciated the idea, but he idolized two admired bucks in his home warren the most. "I'd follow them anywhere, to the end of the world even."

"And I'd rather be like my Mother," Aubretia added, her eyes twinkled at the thought of Lily. "She's the best and bravest mother I'd ever had."

Hearing these strange names puzzled the General. "Pray tell, who is this Hazel and Bigwig?"

"Bigwig's real name is Thlayli, but everyone calls him Bigwig because he's used to it," Pipkin replied. "And Hazel is Fiver's brother, but he-" The young buck didn't have time to finish his sentence because Vervain cut him off.

"Ha! And every rabbit in Efrafa would follow the General!" Vervain boasted. "Even into the lair of the Black Rabbit."

"But they only do it out of fear," Pipkin defended. "It's not the same."

"You show the General the proper respect or I'll-"

"GET OUT!" demanded Woundwort, suddenly feeling defensive of the young kitten against Vervain.

"But, sir, I only want to-"

"**OUT, OR I'LL KILL YOU WHERE YOU STAND!**"

Shocked, Vervain made a wise choice and scampered out of the chamber in a flash.

Turning back to the young kittens, Woundwort noticed how strangely calm they were ever since they had been brought to Efrafa. "Why aren't you both afraid?" he questioned.

"I am, sir." Aubretia admitted, sadly. "I'm afraid you'll find out where our warren is hidden. I'm afraid you'll kill my family and friends."

"You hide it very well."

"Daddy once said to use our fear to make us stronger. He was always afraid of what would happen to Mommy before I was born." The young doe stared up at the giant chief rabbit. "That's why you're so strong, isn't it?"

"You get scared, too." Pipkin asked. "Don't you, sir?"

"We all do." This was the first time that Woundwort had ever opened up about his past to anyone besides Ragwort. "Fear is part of every rabbit's life. It makes us who we are..."

The General recalled back to his childhood, imprisoned in that wretched hutch beside his brother, Ragwort. The two young bucks trembled in fear and terror as the black cat outside their cage tried to claw at them, hissing menacingly. He bullied them with this method, day in and day out. Whenever the Man entered the scene, the cat would suddenly pretend he had been acting all nice and friendly to the rabbits. The Man unlocked the hutch door and dropped in some spinach leaves for the rabbits to eat. However, Woundwort had quite enough. The change in the young buck started to gnaw at him from the inside. He will not tolerate this suffering any longer. Ragwort may not have the courage to fight back, but Woundwort can. His scowl blackened like the soul within. Examining the wires of his cage, Woundwort concocted his plan to make their escape. He began to gnaw and bite at the wires. That night when he succeeded in creating a large gap in the wires, this caught the attention of the cat. The feline prepared to make a pounce on the escapee, until Woundwort lunged forward and sank his teeth into the cat's front leg, tearing open the flesh hidden in the fur. The cat was so shocked and stupefied that a meek little rabbit could do this as he let out a pained howl, joined by a shriek when Woundwort clawed at his ear. The noises awoken Ragwort when he discovered what Woundwort had recently done. Gesturing his brother to follow him, Woundwort lead Ragwort out of the hutch and their escape into the night, and to freedom.

"My brother and I escaped..." Woundwort finished explaining his childhood to the stupefied kittens, "my fear of elil and Man made me strong enough to do anything I dreamed of."

"But Mother and Aunt Clover say that not all Man are evil," Aubretia attempted to make him see a bit of reason. "They were both raised by small human children, and they liked rabbits."

"Humans may treat you with kindness in a hutch," Woundwort warned her, "but in the outside world, they're a greater threat than the elil. Man has the power to shape the world."

Aubretia was disheartened from what she was told. True, she knew the stories of Lily and Clover raised by humans in hutches, but the stories of Sandleford's destruction and Cowslip's warren was enough evidence that most humans would consider killing rabbits than rather care about them.

"But, here... _I_ am the power," Woundwort announced. "_I_ rule."

"And everyone's afraid of you?" Pipkin questioned. "Is that what you really want?"

"You..." Woundwort wanted to scold the young buck for his words, but he didn't have the heart to do it. "Go to your chamber, Pipkin. You too, Aubretia."

Pipkin sadly returned to his burrow, except Aubretia because she began to make odd hops.

"I, err... I need to go pee," she confessed, embarrassed.

"Sainfoin, escort the young doe outside to uhhh…" Woundwort couldn't bring himself to say it as he gave out a command to the nearby sergeant before leaving.

Sainfoin emerged from the shadows, then he reached down to pick up Aubretia by the scruff of her neck. The little doe made a tiny farting sound, worrying the Sergeant. "…And I gotta pass hraka, _really_ bad!"

This disgusted Sainfoin worriedly as he hurriedly carried her out of the warren so she can go pass hraka and avoid stepping on any hraka dropping if she couldn't hold in longer. "This is _not_ what I signed on for!" he yelled, though muffled with his mouth full.

* * *

The Honeycomb inside of Watership Down was very overcrowded, though not because of the rabbits, but multiple different species of creatures had come to the warren when everyone heard the unfortunate story of Pipkin and Aubretia's abduction. There were the bats, moles, water moles, blue jays, squirrels, hedgehogs, voles, muskrats and chipmunks. Dandelion was having trouble attempting to keep all of the critters organized in place, although no one seemed interested in what he was trying to tell them.

"How did you find them all, Hannah?" Fiver was deeply impressed.

"I told a few that Pipkin and Aubretia were in trouble, word spread, and they've all come to help." Hannah smiled, quite pleased with herself.

"Oh, you and Kehaar are wonderful, Hannah!" Lily felt a swell of relief and gratitude, so many animals had come here to help rescue her kittens. "Thank you both for this." Her compliment caused the mouse and the gull to blush.

"Quite the popular young chap, he is?" Bigwig chuckled.

"Little bunny likes everybody," Kehaar agreed. "He's a friend to everybody."

"Well, you know the plan. Let's get on with it," Hazel announced. "I'll go ahead and contact Campion."

"When you see him, tell him to give him a message for Aubretia and Pipkin to say hello," Lily said.

"I shall." Hazel nodded.

"Remember, one stone inside the message tree says 'Meet me right away'. Two means 'Wait until after dark'," Bigwig advised, remembering what he learned in the Owsla.

"Got it! Good luck," Hazel understood, before he stood up and rushed out of the Honeycomb.

When his Chief had left, Bigwig started to grumble in slight envy, "Trust him to take the dangerous job and leave me to organize this rabble."

"That's because you're Captain of Owsla, and your job is to give commands to the animals," Lily advised, softly with a chuckle.

Standing up on his back legs to look taller and with stern authority, Bigwig's voice carried out like thunder in the chamber, "_**QUIET****!**_"

The Honeycomb was filled with silence as the critters stared at the lion buck.

"Special digging teams over here!" Bigwig commanded, pointing to the front center of the chamber. "That's moles, voles, water voles and muskrats! MOVE!"

The animals obeyed instantly as the lion buck continued giving out orders to the rest of the animals on what task they needed to carry out.

* * *

Hazel took the shortcut through the underground cavern to get out by the secret tunnel in the riverbank, passing through the curtain of willow, and bounded off into the forest to search for the message tree that Bigwig told him about. It wasn't far, and a single stone had been laid perfectly inside the tree's hollow.

"Hmm, he wants to meet right away," he mumbled.

The Chief Rabbit hopped further onward as he searched for the Efrafan Captain. He came to a hedge of brambles and bushes, looking around warily. "Campion!" he called in a whisper.

"Hello, Hazel." Campion's head appeared out of the brambles as he emerged out of the bushes. "You're here about Pipkin and Aubretia?"

"How are they?"

"They're fine, but if you think you're going to get them out, forget it."

"Don't underestimate us," Hazel warned him. "Bigwig and Lily are taking this very hard."

"Yeah, I suppose I shouldn't." Campion knew better than to advise Hazel to back down.

"And they hope you could give Pipkin and Aubretia a message: Bigwig and Lily said hello."

"I'll do my best to tell the youngsters. Just remember, there won't be a lot I can do to help."

"You won't have to. Come on, I'll show you." Hazel then lead Campion to the stone bridge close to the riverbank, where a huge beech tree stood before them at a distance from the stone bridge. "This is where Woundwort wants to meet for the exchange."

Campion stared at the hazel colored buck in disbelief. "You're not allowing Bigwig and Lily to go through with it, are you?"

"Not the way he expects, no." Hazel shook his head, assuring him and then pointed to a small gap in the bridge. "See the gap in the stones? Woundwort's got to come through there, then straight to the beech tree."

"I think I can arrange that."

"And make sure he goes no further than the tree. It's vital!"

The two rabbits returned to their meeting spot before parting back to their perspective warrens.

"Anything else?" Campion asked.

"Just tell Pipkin and Aubretia to be ready." As Hazel spoke, he noticed the brown buck staring out in space, slightly disturbed. "You said you'd help us, Campion. What's wrong?"

"You know, I saw my reflection in a pond today," Campion sighed, disheartened. "It wasn't me anymore... I was looking at a traitor."

"You've chosen a dangerous trail, Campion, to travel it alone." Hazel spoke in a soft tone. "It's hard."

"Huh... And lonely."

Suddenly the two rabbits' ears pricked up when Vervain's voice sounded off in the distance. Hazel and Campion exchanged worried frowns, because if Vervain discovered them like this and deduced what is going on, then all would be in vain. Without another word, Hazel disappeared inside the brambles and bushes. Just in time, cause no sooner had Hazel left, then Vervain and Moss emerged out of the bushes, only to find Campion sniffing the ground with an intrigued frown.

"I thought I heard you talking to someone," Vervain stated, suspiciously.

"Perhaps there's something wrong with your ears, then." Campion retorted, sarcastically.

Moss came over beside him to sniff the grass. "What have you got there, sir?"

Hazel concealed himself quietly inside the brambles, hoping Vervain didn't see him.

"Outsider tracks," Campion said. "One of the outsiders, I think. Half a moon old, I'd say." The brown buck turned and headed back to Efrafa, with Moss in tow. "Come along, Vervain!"

With a groan, Vervain turned and left. Hazel sighed in relief, then he lolloped back to his warren.

* * *

Upon their return to Efrafa, Campion and the others discovered that Woundwort was outside doing his usual workout, with a small audience allowed to watch him. He felt like showing off his brute strength and battle skills to his guests. Ragwort recently lost his wrestling match with his brother, having been thrown off the General when he seemingly pinned him down, so he stood by the sidelines beside the young kittens. Usually, it was like a tradition for the two brothers to take part in their morning exercise to see who is the strongest. He wrestled Bartsia to the ground as the buck struggled to get back on his feet. Then Marjoram and Moneywort tackled him, piling on top of the General. Pipkin and Aubretia, both whom stood at the sidelines, gasped worriedly. Just when it seemed like the General was on a losing streak, the larger rabbit used his strong arms to push his attackers off. Pipkin shook his head in amazement. Aubretia applauded in delight. The three officers groaned in defeat while recovering.

"Well, next time." Woundwort boasted gruffly, then he approached the two astonished kittens. "My daily exercise, such as it is."

"You're a very good fighter, sir." Pipkin complimented.

"It's a lot better than how Daddy fights," Aubretia added with praise.

Their admirations seemed to make Woundwort feel superior and more worshipped than ever. "I doubt your father, Thlayli, could fight three opponents and win, could he?"

"I'm not sure if he could," doubted Aubretia.

"I shouldn't think so, but then, he wouldn't need to," Pipkin answered. "He relies on Hazel because he always advises everyone to think of a way out of trouble."

"Good for him." Woundwort frowned with a hint of displeasure, though he secretly wondered why this Hazel is just as important to the kittens as is Thlayli.

As Woundwort was taking a break from his usual workout, Ragwort moved closer to him with an slight frown, "I can't help noticing you've gone soft because of these youngsters, brother."

"It's all part of my plan to find their warren," he retorted, defensively.

"Look, I'm not criticizing you for showing off and impressing them with your skills." Truthfully, Ragwort noticed his brother's attitude changing as a result of his conversation with the kittens, however, he couldn't help but feel glad that his brother had bonded with Pipkin over the loss of their families. Signs of regret and sympathy for the kittens welled up inside of Ragwort, even if killing them will be a burden on him. "As your second in command... as your brother... as your friend... I suggest that we keep Pipkin and Aubretia here to train them as future soldiers, if their parents refuse to go through with the exchange."

The General stared at him for a brief second, unsure and considering what Ragwort was telling him. "I'll think about it," was all he said.

* * *

Returning to the riverbank and to the secret tunnel, Hazel made sure that no other Efrafans were trailing him. Luckily, there was nobody around. Except for Bigwig, Fiver and Lily as the trio emerged out of the tunnel.

"Ah, Hazel, did you get a hold of Campion then?" Bigwig asked.

"How are Aubretia and Pipkin?" Lily implored, concerned. "Are they alright?"

Hazel answered one question at a time, first to the lion buck he said, "Yes, we're all set." Then he spoke to the doe, "Campion says Aubretia and Pipkin are fine. Now, how did you all make out?"

"When I shout loud enough, I can organize raindrops." Bigwig turned back inside the tunnel and shouted in his best military voice, "Diggers, move out! On the double!"

Moles, voles, water voles shrews and muskrats came marching down the shallow stream on his command.

"We've got enough diggers to burrow to the heart of the world," Fiver awed.

"I doubt they could burrow to the center of the world, but hopefully there is enough for this plan to work," Lily added.

"Right, let's go!" Hazel passed out of the willow curtain, then passed through the stream when making sure the current wasn't strong enough to lose any critters. He waited for Bigwig, Fiver and Lily to join him, then the smaller animals followed close behind them when they swam across safely to shore. "Tonight's the full moon. we have only one chance to get Pipkin and Aubretia away."

"That's all we need," Bigwig sighed, still masking his emotions as he kept thinking about his daughter and Pipkin. He noticed Lily staring at him, the dismay in her blue eyes told him what she was thinking; what if they failed? "Stop worrying yourself, love. We'll get them back," he did his best to assure her.

* * *

General Woundwort lead Pipkin and Aubretia to the enormous twisted tree, sitting on the large roots that was able to hold their weight. He gave them a small tour of his warren, showing it off with pride. The view was almost as good as the top from Watership Down, but not entirely giving the kittens a view of the whole world as the warren was completely sealed off from the outside world.

"I built this place, children. When I came here with Ragwort, Efrafa was only a few, weak, frightened rabbits. Their chief, Fiorin, was an irresponsible, careless leader," the General explained how he came into power during his previous leaving the Man's hutch. "The elil were everywhere. Attacking... killing... slaughtering all rabbits in their path."

"Sounds dreadful," Pipkin gasped.

"Sounds awful," Aubretia shivered.

"It was, but I changed that. I overthrew Fiorin in combat. I gave them discipline... order... safety. I taught them how to attack and kill the elil, instead of hiding in fear. I could do the same for your warren, if you tell me where to find it." Woundwort gazed intently at the kittens, hoping now that he gained their confidence, one or both of them will spill their warren's location.

"I can't, sir." Pipkin refused, his ears lowered sadly.

However, Aubretia started thinking about what the General told her. She naively believed she could trust him with their warren's whereabouts, then perhaps Woundwort will keep them safe from Man or elil. He treated her and Pipkin fairly, so what is the harm in telling him. "I guess I could tell you," she said.

Pipkin stared at her in horror, but Woundwort flashed a triumphant smile.

"Perimeter is secured, General!" Campion informed as he appeared alongside Moss, Vervain, Sainfoin and Orchis.

"I suggest we prepare for the prisoners' exchange, sir." Vervain cast a wicked glance at the two kittens.

Slightly alarmed, Pipkin asked, "What does he mean 'prisoners' exchange'?"

"Thlayli and Lily are going to turn themselves over to me," Woundwort revealed, "in exchange for your freedom."

Realizing the truth, Pipkin and Aubretia became shocked. How could neither of them see it sooner? The General's attempts to gain their trust and treating them like guests was all just an act to get them to expose their warren's location. Aubretia felt foolish most of all for believing him.

"You can't! We won't let you!" Pipkin cried, his voice breaking like he would cry any second now.

"I trusted you!" Aubretia yelled accusingly, making the General's eyes widen.

The two kittens started to make a run for it to the embankment, but Vervain and Orchis blocked their exit. Unfortunately, the clumsy brothers missed their catch and landed face first at the tree's roots, making Woundwort shake his head at their incompetence.

"Sorry, kids," Moss apologized quietly to the kittens before he tried to grab them, but they were smaller and faster than him.

Sainfoin lunged for them, but the kittens ran back the other way and he fell flat on his face. Pipkin and Aubretia smiled at thinking how clever they are to outrun Efrafa's Owsla, until they bumped straight at Campion's stomach and he restrained them both at the same time.

"It's alright, little ones," the brown buck tried to calm the youngsters as best he could. "It's alright."

The mask had been removed and General Woundwort's true colors were unveiled as he spoke, "You can end the war between our warrens, children. You can save the lives of your friends and family." His shadow loomed over the kittens as they stopped struggling. "Where is your warren?" he demanded.

But Pipkin bravely refused to talk, instead he tried to make the Chief Rabbit see reason. "You don't have to keep fighting, General. You're not in a cage anymore. You don't have to be afraid."

The General's steely gaze landed upon Aubretia, who shook her head defiantly as she also tried to make her understand the wrong in his actions. "Do you think this is what your family wanted for you, Woundwort? Do you think this is going to make them proud of you?"

Seeing there was no sense in gaining information on their warren, Woundwort said, "Captain Campion, take them underground and keep them under guard."

Campion nodded, and he got Moss to help carry Aubretia as he carried Pipkin, by the scruffs of their necks, to a prisoner's burrow where the kittens were to be confined for the remainder of the day until nightfall.

Reaching the prisoner's burrow, Moss and Campion brought the kittens inside where two officers were ordered to keep a strict watch on the youngsters until tonight. No sooner had Moss left, Campion leaned in close enough to whisper in the kittens' ears, "Listen, I'm a friend. Hazel and your parents are going to get you out."

He could see the light of hope flicker in Pipkin's eyes, although Aubretia looked doubtful, he added, "Your parents said hello." The young doe stared at him, unsure whether to still believe it, but if what he said is true, she smiled at the hope of seeing her parents again.

Above ground at the warren's embankment, Orchis and Vervain decided to take this opportunity to cruelly end the lives of Pipkin and Aubretia if the exchange doesn't go according to as planned. Orchis was eager to do it the most, determined to kill Aubretia and Pipkin so Lily will lose all her kittens, and Thlayli if he dies, and he will finally gain his chance of mating with her, watching her suffer under his control and producing his own litter.

"Sire, my brother and I have come to agreement on the fates of those little badger spawns," Vervain sneered. "If Thlayli and Lily don't show up, we'd like the honor of killing Pipkin and Aubretia."

"And I'd like to make a request," Orchis began. "If Thlayli and Lily do surrender, I want Thlayli murdered and Lily kept alive. I find her a most interesting doe who would make the perfect mate for me."

Woundwort's gaze never left the distant horizon. He could have agreed to ending the lives of two kittens who suddenly made him feel differently about the way he lived his life and bounded with the losses of their loved ones, but there was no trace or thoughts of murder directed upon Pipkin and Aubretia. They made him feel strange, true. The General felt that odd agonizing pain in his heart. He hadn't felt it since losing his family. But if the prisoner exchange didn't work, what fate could he decide for the kittens. "That... would be... like killing a part of myself," he muttered.

Vervain and Orchis exchanged odd frowns, wondering what on earth has gotten into their Chief as they droned, "Sir...?"

But the General had to give an answer quick as he spoke, "I'll deal with Pipkin and Aubretia if it comes to it, but I don't doubt their parents will come. As for Lily, I'll decide what to do with her." He left immediately, leaving the two brothers puzzled by his behavior.

For the rest of the day, Hazel and Fiver and Bigwig got every critter on the job to set up their trap for Woundwort and his Owsla. Every mole, vole, water mole and muskrat created deep holes in the field where the stone bridge and the exchange will take place. The squirrels and chipmunks used moss and grass to cover up the holes so no one will suspect, then assisted the moles to help chew at the very thick roots of the beech tree, that way it will take Woundwort by surprise. Lily took command of Kehaar's squadron of bats and blue jays to set up an ambush, but only until they heard the signal.

"Enemy patrol!" Fiver warned, just as he noticed the Efrafan Owsla out and about.

Bigwig and Lily dove for cover, along with the smaller animals, and waited until the enemy patrol left the area. The couple looked at each other with sad but determined eyes, silently praying this plan to work or they'll never see Pipkin and Aubretia again.

* * *

It was the night of the full moon. Time for the prisoner exchange to begin. Woundwort stood out amongst the entrance, his gaze lingering upon the moon for a second before he resumed focus on his awaiting Owsla with many in numbers. Moss and Avens kept near Pipkin and Aubretia, just in case they didn't get any ideas about running off.

"Move out!" Woundwort ordered "Tight formation."

He led the march first ahead, then came the Owsla as escorts to force Aubretia and Pipkin to come along. The kittens grew nervous, hoping to see either Hazel, Bigwig or Lily again, but feared for their lives the most.

Arriving at the stone bridge and entering cautiously out in the field, Bigwig and Lily waiting patiently for the enemy patrol and their General to arrive with Pipkin and Aubretia. Their silent frowns masked their concern and fear as the approaching party made it on time as they passed through the gap in the stone bridge.

"Not taking any chances, is he?" Bigwig said.

"That's usually what we do," Fiver whispered from behind the long grass. "I mean, not take chances."

"Maybe, but this time we can't risk anything that might disrupt the plan, especially when it comes to 'Thlayli-rah'?" Hazel reminds them, needing to keep up the illusion of Watership Down's chieftainship.

"Still not going to get used to be called that, you know?" Bigwig chuckled at his nickname.

Hazel's attention returned to the approaching Efrafan party, quickly noticing a problem. "He's off the path." Hazel became worried as he watched the General was hopping off the center of the dirt path. "If he steps in the trap too early, it's all over."

Fortunately, Campion made sure to cooperate with Hazel's plan as he directed his Chief, "General, over here!"

The four Watership rabbits sighed in secret, just as Thlayli and Lily approached warily towards the giant rabbit chief.

"Hold!" Woundwort ordered, then he gestured the hesitant kittens to go forward when they didn't budge an inch. "Go on, go on. Go on!"

Without a word, Pipkin and Aubretia rushed forward to reunite with Bigwig and Lily. The lion buck sighed in extreme relief to have them back, whilst Lily leapt forward to embrace them.

"Mommy!" Aubretia cried, leaping into her mother's arms.

Lily scooped the kittens up in her arms at the same time in a loving embrace. She wanted to shed tears of joy, but now is not the time. A warmth of joy and happiness filled her heart now that she had Aubretia and Pipkin back in her life. "Are you both hurt?" she asked."

"We're alright," Pipkin assured her.

"Cross the field and follow our tracks exactly." Hazel peeped his head out of the grass, ushering the kittens to enter.

"I don't want to leave you."

"Do as you're told! Now!"

Reluctantly, Pipkin and Aubretia left the field and vanished inside the long grass.

"Surrender, Thlayli-rah and Lily!" Woundwort demanded. "You can't escape!"

"That's what the fox said to El-ahrairah!" Lily yelled, loud enough for her winged friends to hear. The bats and birds, led by Kehaar, swooped down to surround and overwhelm Woundwort and his rabbits, giving Bigwig and Lily time to retreat temporarily.

As the enemy soldiers try to swat the flying attackers away, their General called out, "Hold your formations! ATTACK!"

Temporarily rattled by the surprise aerial attack by the gull and the swarm, the soldiers found themselves falling into pits dug by the digging crews Bigwig directed earlier. Even Vervain and Orchis ended up bumping into each other and falling into a pit at the same time, which was witnessed by Campion who _fell_ into that pit, weighing the two brothers down. As soon as the last of the fliers were cleared, Woundwort found himself alone… and Thlayli-rah and Lily straight ahead.

Deciding to take matters into his own paws, Woundwort charged towards the two rabbits, unaware that the nearby beech tree was swiftly being uprooted by Drumlin and his diggers. The mole looked up briefly to see Woundwort coming fast, forcing him back underground and relay the order to dig faster through the roots. Soon, by the time Woundwort was about to pass the tree, the roots had finally given way and the towering perennial had begun falling down on its side, stopping Woundwort in his tracks before he turned away to evade it, only to get caught under its branches as he let out a cry in defeat, laying pinned beneath it.

Woundwort had been beaten… but the war was not over. Not yet, as Bigwig loomed over the fallen General. The lion buck's eyes gleamed with murder and hate for this monster who had taken his daughter and Pipkin. He wanted to end this war forever by doing what he always knew how to end a fight.

"The war's over, General, and you lose." Bigwig scowled dangerously at the defeated Woundwort beneath the tree. He raised his paw, claws unsheathed, and ready to deliver the final blow.

"DON'T, BIGWIG!" Pipkin called out as he hopped between Bigwig and Woundwort, preventing the lion buck from making a move.

"Get out of the way, Pipkin!"

Pipkin merely shook his head in silent defiance, while Lily took notice of the Efrafan soldiers finding their way out of the holes.

"It's too late. Run!" she yelled.

Reluctantly, Bigwig lowered his paw to retreat back into the long grass with Lily, though Pipkin being the last to leave as he looked pitifully at the pinned General, the young buck said, "War isn't the way, General."

"It's the only way I know..." is all the General could say to him before the young kit turned around to follow the others through the long grass.

"…_it's the only way I know_…"

* * *

As soon as the rabbits were all safe, Kehaar was seen waving goodbye to the bats and birds who flew past the moonlight. "Good flying, brothers and sisters! I thank you for your help!"

Pipkin waved to them as well, but then stopped when Bigwig hopped over to reprimand the lad. "I had Woundwort dead to rights. Why'd you stop me?"

"Woundwort would have killed us if given half the chance," Hazel pointed out.

"I know, but we're not like him, are we?" Pipkin asked, pointing out the very difference between them and Woundwort.

While Woundwort ruled by war and fear and violence, Watership Down was ruled by peace and love and understanding. Traits that even Woundwort could never understand and therefore did not expect. Traits that Woundwort had given up long ago when he lost his family and warren to violence. Hazel, Bigwig and Lily felt the young buck's words sting at their cores as they slowly processed over what they had been told.

"…No, we're not." Fiver agreed, realizing what the young buck's message.

"Pipkin, I'm glad you and Aubretia are safe," Lily remarked as she nuzzled the young buck's head.

"So am I, Lily," Pipkin replied.

"Mmmm… you know, I was thinking… since you've been with Bigwig for some time now, and he's always been looking after you like one of his own… and considering everything that just happened, well… how would you like to be a part of our family, Pipkin?"

Was Lily really asking what Pipkin thought she was asking? "Lily... do you really mean it? I know Bigwig has been looking after me for a while now..."

Realizing what Lily is suggesting, Bigwig hopped over to Pipkin with a warm expression. "Well lad, I have been. However, since Lily and I are mates now, and seeing how we've gotten adjusted to being parents ourselves and the fact that Woundwort was fooled into thinking you were my own… I think we'd like to make it official. What do you think… " the lion buck placed a gentle paw upon his shoulder, "…_son_?"

Pipkin's eyes widened as he soon realized what was going on, as tears began to form from his eyes. All he could do in response… was put his paws around the two rabbits, accepting them as his new parents, who in turn embrace the young buck, later joined by Aubretia who was thrilled to have Pipkin for a brother, as Hazel and Fiver looked at the heartwarming moment with satisfaction.

"Good for you, Pipkin!" Kehaar exclaimed, taking flight and performed a loop-de-loop in the air. "Let's go home and tell everyone the good news!"

And as soon as the rabbits reached the end of their journey home, Basil and Violet ran out of their burrow to greet their parents, and to welcome Pipkin and Aubretia home. The rabbits crowded around, expressing their delight of their victory over the rescue mission and everyone wanted to smother the two kittens with hugs and kisses. Bigwig had to intervene for their sake, loudly announcing to give the kittens their space as he lead them to their burrow where Basil, Aubretia and Violet usually sleep in cause it was way past the youngsters' bedtime, yet Pipkin belonged to that burrow as well now that he had a new family and he couldn't have asked for anything better.


	29. Stories of El-ahrairah p1

_**Author's Note: After this chapter, I plan to continue on doing a new chapter for Hotel Transylvania's New Places & New Beginnings. After all this trouble with Hurricane Dorian and a bad writer's block, I'll finally be able to keep going on it. Although it will take a long while for those who love Hotel Transylvania, thank you for your patience. When I finish with that, I'll continue on Lily's Adventures In Watership Down. **_

_**PS - I published this chapter on my birthday and there will be more El-ahrairah stories from the Tales of Watership Down novel will be made in my story for future chapters. **_

* * *

Hardly a day had elapsed since Pipkin and Aubretia had come home safe and sound after their dreadful imprisonment in Efrafa. Yet already the youngsters seemed near to recovery, neither of them seemed less the worse when discovering General Woundwort's dark past and felt a tremendous sympathy toward the Chief Rabbit of Efrafa. Their fellow kittens asked multiple questions about what life in the enemy warren is like. Pipkin and Aubretia answered one question at a time, expressing no fear or concern over their adventures like it was no trouble at all.

As several of the rabbits began to silflay above ground one morning, Pipkin and Aubretia noticed how alert Bigwig behaved as he stood on his hind legs and kept a stern lookout everywhere on the down, almost expecting an Efrafan soldier or an elil to jump out any second now and snatch up his kittens. Ever since their homecoming, Bigwig started acting strange. Whenever the kits ventured outside, he often accompanied them and made sure whatever places to silflay or pass hraka is a safe distance away from the edge of the hill. Lily just stood to the side calmly nibbling on the grass looking quite content, though she grew disturbed by her mate's behavior and rolled her eyes.

"Bigwig, will you relax? Nothing's going to happen," the doe scolded him.

"You never know when something _will_ happen," the lion buck responded. "Besides, I'm Captain of Owsla and it's my job to make sure my family is protected."

"That's very sweet of you, darling, but you mustn't worry so much."

"He's just being the overprotective father who-" Bluebell began, who remained at a distance beside Holly to silflay.

"Don't make a joke!" growled Bigwig. "You seem to think-"

"I wasn't going to. I was just saying a protective father who looks after his mate and kits excessively could lead to unhealthy relationships with his family."

"He's right," agreed Holly, impressed by the blue buck's wise words. "I'm afraid you might become more anxious enough to keep your kits from growing up to become independent rabbits."

Although he understood what they're saying, Bigwig tried to explain reasonably on his part, "I lost Lily because I was careless enough to let her get captured. It was that same carelessness that got Aubretia and Pipkin kidnapped. I don't want to repeat the same mistakes again in the future. So, would you _please_ let me stand sentry just in case?"

"Absolutely not, Thlayli! I understand how you feel, but there is no need to stand guard all the time. So for the sake of your family, please take the day off."

There was no point in arguing with his commanding officer, so Bigwig gave up reluctantly and got back down on all fours to silflay, but his fierce eyes scanned the area like a hawk. Holly groaned, shaking his head in dismay at him.

"I have an idea!" Bluebell perked up. "How about I tell a story to lift everyone's spirits? Maybe a story of El-ahrairah?"

"That's a wonderful idea!" Lily praised, intrigued. Truthfully, she had never heard of any other El-ahrairah stories other than _Frith's Blessing_ and _Rowsby Woof_. This might be a good time to hear one or more. "I know you mentioned the story of the King's Lettuce back in Cowslip's warren, but to tell you the truth I never stayed to listen. I sort of got distracted by their does chanting at the pink glittering shape."

"Oh, don't worry, lass. I can tell it again." Bluebell waved it off like it didn't matter.

Then Strawberry lolloped over to them. "Are you going to tell a story of El-ahrairah? I'd like to hear one," she said, intrigued.

"Didn't you ever learn the stories?" asked Aubretia.

"No, sweetheart. Cowslip says they're full of lies."

"Shows what that bastard knows," scoffed Bigwig, under his breath.

"Watch your language!" Holly grunted, giving the lion buck a small cuff on the head for using a bad word when the kits are close by.

"I want to hear a story!" Young Threar came galloping out of the grass, joined by the rest of the kittens and their parents.

Apparently, the news of Bluebell telling the tales of El-ahrairah brought the whole colony of rabbits to gather around in a misshaped circle, almost as if telling stories was a very popular hobby to do in a warren as Lily assumed. But this is El-ahrairah, the Prince of Rabbits and the Prince with a Thousand Enemies, the most popular and most legendary hero to all rabbit-kind.

Bluebell cleared his throat dramatically and spoke in a loud and clear voice, "There was a time when El-ahrairah and his people had lost all their luck. The Thousand drove them out in exile and they were forced to live in the marshes of Kelfazin…"

_Where is this Kelfazin place? _Lily wondered, baffled. She had never seen it on a map of the world whenever Henry needed to use a map for a part of his homework.

_The Marshes of Kelfazin were a dreary place where there was no food but coarse grass, and even the grass was mixed with bitter rushes and docks. The ground was too wet for digging: the water stood in any hole that was made. But all the other animals had grown so suspicious of El-ahrairah and his tricks that they would not let him out of that wretched country._

_Prince Rainbow, a spirit whose body shone more colors than any rainbow in the sky or any field of flowers, and his appearance when appearing in person might resemble a human except for his pointed elf ears told he was probably a fairy, would come every day to check up on the rabbits, for he was Frith's messenger. Knowing how Frith granted Prince Rainbow the power to command the sky as he thought best, El-ahrairah complained to him about his people's misery in the marshes. "Prince Rainbow," he told him, "my people are cold and cannot get underground because of the wet. Their food is so dull and poor that they will be sick when the bad weather comes. Why do you keep us here against our will? We do no harm."_

"_El-ahrairah," replied Prince Rainbow, "all the world knows that you are a thief and a trickster. Now your tricks have caught up with you, so your people must live here until you can persuade me that you will be an honest rabbit."_

"_Then we shall never get out, for I would be ashamed to tell my people to stop living by our gift, no more than Frith be if asked to not serve by _his_. Would you let us out if I could swim across a lake full of pike?"_

"_No, for I have heard of that trick of yours, El-ahrairah, and I know how it is done."_

"_What if I can steal the lettuces from King Darzin's garden? Would we be let go, then?"_

_Now King Darzin ruled over the biggest and richest of the animal cities in the world at that time. His soldiers were very fierce and his lettuce garden was surrounded by a deep ditch and guarded by several sentries day and night. It was near his palace, on the edge of the city where all his followers lived. _

_When El-ahrairah talked of stealing King Darzin's lettuces, Prince Rainbow mockingly replied, "You can try, Prince Rabbit. If you succeed, I will multiply your people everywhere and no one will be able to keep them out of a vegetable garden from now till the end of the world. But what will _really_ happen is that you will be killed by the soldiers and the world will have one less trickster."_

"_Very well." El-ahrairah nodded. "We shall see."_

_Prince Rainbow? King Darzin? I never heard of such royalties._ Lily pondered over what kind of mythical creature this Prince Rainbow might be, or what sort of creature this King Darzin must be. She poked Blackberry in the shoulder and whispered, "What sort of creature is King Darzin? And who is Prince Rainbow? Is he really a fairy or a spirit god?"

Blackberry shrugged her shoulders and answered quietly, "I have no idea, though our people often assume he is either a hare or a beaver. As for Prince Rainbow, perhaps he is a fairy lord of the rainbow."

Bluebell cleared his throat a bit to draw back their attention. "As I was saying…"

_It was at that moment, a hedgehog named Yona, not the Yona we have as our neighbor, had overheard this conversation while out foraging for snails and slugs. He traveled hastily to the great palace to warn the king._

"_King Darzin," he sniffled, "that wicked thief, El-ahrairah, said he will steal your lettuces and he is coming to trick you and get into the garden."_

_Angered, King Darzin hurried down to the lettuce garden and sent for the captain of the guard, telling him to double the guards, gardeners, and weeders around and inside his royal garden, and make sure that not a single head of lettuce leaves without his command. The captain of the guard did as he was told._

_That night, El-ahrairah came out of the marshes of Kelfazin and went secretly up to the great ditch. With him was his trusty Captain of Owsla, Rabscuttle. They squatted in the bushes and watched the doubled guards patrolling up and down. When the morning came, they saw all the gardeners and weeders in the garden as well. El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle came away in perplexity when neither of them could come up with a plan to steal the lettuces and that very day, when Prince Rainbow came walking through the marshes, he asked, "Well, well, Prince of a Thousand Enemies, where are the lettuces?"_

"_I am having them delivered," answered El-ahrairah. "There will be rather too many to carry." Then he and Rabscuttle went secretly down one of their few burrows where there was no water, put a sentry outside and talked for a day and a night over the situation._

Lily snickered a tiny giggle at the name Rabscuttle. She had never heard of such a name, nor know of a plant or flower by the name of Rabscuttle. The doe ceased snickering when she noticed Bigwig glaring in her direction, silently ordering her not to make fun of Rabscuttle's name as he admired him.

_Many moons passed as the two rabbits ventured around Darzin's vast domain, looking for a way to steal the King's lettuce. One day, they found the King's many children playing and frolicking out in another garden with their mothers and nursemaids. Hatching an idea, El-ahrairah told Rabscuttle to sneak into the garden by posing as one of the King's children before whispering the rest of his plan into his ear and handing him a pawful of nightshade petals. __Once inside the garden, Rabscuttle eagerly befriended one of the King's sons, who then unwittingly escorted him inside the palace. When the son wasn't looking, Rabscuttle made his way to the storeroom where the lettuces were held. He then began chewing on the petals before placing a bit inside each lettuce before sneaking away to hide._

_All of the lettuces would then be eaten by the King and his people when he held a grand feast that night before falling ill soon after. At first, they thought nothing of it until they found themselves growing sicker than ever due to eating the lettuces which Rabscuttle would secretly poison each night. Meanwhile, on the fifth night, back in the marshes, Rabscuttle escaped the palace and returned to the marshes to report his progress. El-ahrairah would carry out the next part of his plan. Painting his tail white and covering his fur with mud, blackberries, and different grasses, he disguised himself as a healer sent by Prince Rainbow to examine the King before telling Rabscuttle to arrange an all-out raid on the King's Lettuces._

_After making for the kingdom and "examining" him and his subjects, he explained to King Darzin that the sickness came from the spoiled lettuces. He told the King that source was an illness that weakens all animals, but none more so than to rabbits: the dreaded "Lousepedoodle" which flew in ever-decreasing circles through the Gunpat of the Cludge, isolated by the purple Awago and maturing in the grey-green forests of the Okey Pokey._

A chorus of laughter erupted from the audience. Bigwig burst out laughing, his voice creating a booming echo that Lily never heard before. Now she knew why he claimed this story as one of his favorites. She started to laugh alongside him, glad to see him enjoying himself. Strawberry released a high-pitched squeal of laughter, now finding the story more interesting instead of behaving the opposite as she did before in Cowslip's warren.

_It was then that the Captain of the Guard came in to report that El-ahrairah's people were preparing a siege on the palace to steal the lettuces. Deciding to rid his people of sickness and rid himself of one of his most dangerous enemies, King Darzin ordered that all the lettuces from his royal garden would be thrown over the walls and down on the raiding rabbits, believing the rabbits would become ill themselves from eating the lettuces._

_At that time, Rabscuttle and his Owsla had just reached the wall when they saw heads of hearty lettuce rain down from beyond Darzin's walls. After quickly departing from the King's Court, El-ahrairah discarded his disguise and rejoined Rabscuttle and the Owsla to bring back the lettuces to the marshes of Kelfazin. Upon return, El-ahrairah found a stunned Prince Rainbow, who was shocked to find all the lettuces having been delivered. He was flabbergasted at being unwittingly deceived by El-ahrairah, but he knew a messenger of Frith is bound to his word, just as El-ahrairah was true to his own. Honoring the promise, Prince Rainbow agreed to let the rabbits go free out of the marshes of Kelfazin, bringing them to a new warren where they multiplied ever more in their new home…_

"…and from that day on, no power on earth can keep a rabbit out of a vegetable garden, for El-ahrairah prompts them with a thousand tricks, the best in the world!"

The rabbits cheered and praised Bluebell for his talent in telling the story, even the kittens applauded to show their approval.

"That is the funniest story I have ever heard, and the best in the world!" Lily echoed the blue buck's words of the story's epilogue, her tail wagging ecstatically. "Now I wish I had stayed in the Great Burrow to listen to it."

"Whatever do you mean?" Hazel asked.

"I got distracted by Cowslip's does chanting whatever they said, 'Devoted are we to the path he decides,' or some other nonsense. I forgot the rest."

"That's all right. At least you got the chance to hear of the King's Lettuce."

"I'd like a turn to be a narrator in telling another El-ahrairah story," Speedwell volunteered.

"Really?" Dandelion raised an eyebrow, doubtfully. "You tell as many jokes as Bluebell, but I've never heard you tell a story yet. I'm sure all those jokes ought to add up to a story, that is if they're laid to end the story properly."

"Give Speedwell a chance," convinced Clover. "It'd be fair to take turns so that anyone can tell an El-ahrairah story."

Hesitating, Dandelion gave in to the former hutch doe's request. "All right, but don't say that I didn't warn you."

Speedwell excitedly took Bluebell's place in the center of the misshaped circle, clearing his throat to make sure his voice was perfect enough to tell a good story. Then clearing his throat, he began. "It happened after El-ahrairah had gotten his people out of the marshes of Kelfazin. They went to the meadow of Fenlo and dug their holes there to make their homes. Prince Rainbow still kept an eye on the Prince Rabbit, and determined to see that he didn't get up to any more of his tricks..."

_Again, another place even I have never heard of on the map. Where does the name Fenlo come from anyway? _Lily wondered in her thoughts.

_One evening, El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle were sitting on by the riverbanks when Prince Rainbow came through the meadows, bringing with him a hlessi, a rabbit that El-ahrairah had never seen before. Prince Rainbow told the Prince Rabbit that Lord Frith had decided that El-ahrairah would no longer be allowed to share a burrow with Rabscuttle because of their bad influences on each other. Rabscuttle was to move in another burrow at the other end of the warren. Prince Rainbow then introduced the hlessi to El-ahrairah, his name being Hufsa, and told him that he wanted to make sure that Hufsa was taken special care of in the warren by having him share a burrow with El-ahrairah._

_Hufsa is what Bigwig and Holly used to call me when they lost their tempers_, Lily thought to herself after hearing that name_. _As much as Lily hated to be reminded of that word, she was eager to learn why the two rabbits insulted her as a Hufsa hence this story seemed to mention him.

_Despite the desperate annoyance that El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle felt when no longer allowed to share a burrow, it was one of the Prince Rabbit's rules to never let anyone see when he got angry. And besides, he felt sorry for Hufsa because he seemed lonely and awkward, so El-ahrairah welcomed him and promised to help him settle down in the warren. Hufsa was very friendly and anxious to please all of the rabbits. Rabscuttle grew jealous of this newcomer and distrusted him, but he had to remain polite to Hufsa. After a short time, El-ahrairah noticed how things always gone wrong in his schemes from a man armed with a thunder stick in the cornfield he and his people had planned to raid to finding wire in a hole that El-ahrairah dug into a cabbage garden._

_The Prince Rabbit could only conclude a spy in the warren, a rabbit who was reporting to either the farmers…or someone who **told** the farmers. but he trusted all of the rabbits he knew the longest… except for Hufsa who arrived moments before things went wrong. Rabscuttle came to him one night to share his suspicions, and those suspicions also landed upon Hufsa. They soon figured that this was Prince Rainbow's idea to keep the rabbits in line. They knew they had to remove Hufsa before their people would starve, but without drawing the wrath of Prince Rainbow, and by association Lord Frith._

Nobody needed to tell Lily what the word Hufsa meant after all; traitor. This deduction discouraged her, but she continued to listen more.

_One day, Prince Rainbow paid a visit to the warren to congratulate El-ahrairah on having reformed himself, and even invited El-ahrairah, Rabscuttle and Hufsa to watch him plant a brand-new garden full of delicious carrots, all the while warning the Prince Rabbit that any rabbit caught stealing from the garden will be severely punished. While this whole business infuriated El-ahrairah from Prince Rainbow's subtle taunt, it **DID** give El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle a stroke of genius. That night, they began devising a plan to get rid of Hufsa once and for all, and not only that, but to steal the carrots..._

"…Uhh, is he supposed to be doing that?" Speedwell inquired, stopped in his train of thought.

Baby Rowan was tinkling on a cluster the dandelion puffs. By the time most of the rabbits discovered whom Speedwell pointed out, everyone had bust a gut. An embarrassed Silver immediately pulled his kit to the side, apologizing for his infant son's actions, but Speedwell waved it off since everyone found it amusing before continuing on.

_That night, El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle enlisted the help of Yona the hedgehog and Hawock the pheasant, offering them favors and food in exchange for their cooperation, while whispering their roles unto them. Soon after, El-ahrairah asked Hufsa his help in stealing the carrots, insisting they depart for tonight. Hufsa considered this would be the opportunity to end El-ahrairah's career and become the new Prince of the rabbits, so he agreed, unknowingly falling into El-ahrairah's great game against Prince Rainbow._

"What is going to happen to El-ahrairah next? He's gonna get into trouble," Aubretia whispered to her parents, looking worried.

"I don't know, sweetie." Lily shook her head.

"Just be patient, darling. The best part is yet to come," Bigwig assured her, grinning.

_The next morning after a **very** successful raid, Prince Rainbow came over the fields accompanied by two vicious black dogs, both of them snarling at the terrified rabbits. He angrily announced that El-ahrairah is under arrest for stealing his carrots and that Hufsa agreed to testify against him. To showcase his "fairness", Prince Rainbow organized a show trial with the jury consisting of animals who would gladly testify against any rabbit. The jurors – a wolf, a fox, a weasel, a stoat, a hawk, an owl, and a cat - all stared hungrily at El-ahrairah, who was placed between the two dogs, promised the task of carrying out the death sentence. The rabbits also attended, all wailing in despair as they felt sure it was all over for El-ahrairah._

"Ohh, this is gonna be good," Hawkbit muttered, excited for his favorite part of the story to come.

_Prince Rainbow brought in the witness, Hufsa, to testify against El-ahrairah. The pathetic Hufsa told the elil how El-ahrairah had terrified him into helping him steal Prince Rainbow's carrots. He had wanted to refuse, but he was too frightened by El-ahrairah forcing him to go along with it. But after Prince Rainbow's questioning, El-ahrairah began his questions, this time about their supposed journey to steal the carrots, all while pretending he cannot remember anything about it. Hufsa recalled the strange details from the raid the night before: a singing hedgehog covered in dog-rose petals, a pheasant that swam to grow new tail feathers, and Frith's messenger, a rabbit with green ears__, __a red tail, and a white stick in his muzzle. _

_Little did Hufsa know that El-ahrairah planned these details ahead of time along the path of the raid, growing disbelief within the jury of elil, whilst El-ahrairah kept an air of fatherly patience with Hufsa's rambling, denying ever seen such creatures. Hufsa denounced the Prince Rabbit as a thieving liar. However, by the time Hufsa was done, the elil jurors were all convinced the rabbit had either gone mad or had been a liar himself. When Hufsa even led Prince Rainbow to the hole where the supposed carrots were hidden the night before, they found no carrots at all. The wolf, who led the jury by virtue of his great teeth, told Prince Rainbow that they could not convict El-ahrairah due to the lack of evidence and for the sheer tall tale Hufsa had spun. As a result, El-ahrairah was found not guilty and released back to his people, while Prince Rainbow took Hufsa away in a scorning huff. El-ahrairah and his people were left in peace…_

"…although the Prince Rabbit and his people suffered _quite_ the indigestion brought on by eating too many carrots, and it would take a while to wash off Rabscuttle's ears and tail before his fur would be normal again," Speedwell concluded.

There came another round of cheers by the adults and applause by the young kittens. Lily remained frigidly silent the whole time, despite the happy ending of the story. Only Bigwig took notice of her behavior, his cheerful demeanor replaced by concern for his mate.

"Darling, what's wrong?" he asked.

Lily gave no response at first, but then she spoke in a soft whisper, "Hufsa... it's what you called me at Cowslip's warren, it means 'traitor,' doesn't it?"

Bigwig clenched his jaw, stupefied. "H-How did... look, I never meant what I said back then, but I know I was wrong to even say it, especially to you." Remorse pierced his stomach as he recalled back to that time in Cowslip's warren where his accusations against her and Hazel and Fiver almost brought his death.

"I know you are wrong, but I was afraid to find out what it means." Lily turned away, her eyes averting from Bigwig momentarily.

The lion buck would have given anything to take it all back, until Hazel's voice snapped him back to reality.

"Well done, Speedwell. You told it marvelously!" the Chief Rabbit commended.

"I told you I can be just as good as Dandelion and Bluebell," said Speedwell.

"Speaking of myself, I'd like a go at telling a story!" Dandelion raised his paw to volunteer to go next, of course nobody objected, so the blonde buck took his place in the circle's center. "This is a story of El-ahrairah and the Black Rabbit of Inlé."

Voices murmured and the rabbits shuddered, as this tale is known to be fearful and downright supernatural. Some of the adults worried their kittens wouldn't like it, however, Bigwig urged him to continue and tell the story. Lily's eyes lit up instantly. Although she didn't smile, the doe wanted to hear of what El-ahrairah had done in his adventures to catch the attention of the Black Rabbit. Other than Hazel when he was shot by the farmer long ago, she was the second rabbit to encounter the Black Rabbit.

Dandelion stood up tall with dignity and began telling the tale, "It happened after the King's Lettuces, because King Darzin found out about El-ahrairah's deception. He began scheming his revenge against the Prince Rabbit, whom learned what the King is up to, warned his people to be careful when out alone or to stay in their burrows..."

_One day, the threat that El-ahrairah warned his people about came: King Darzin had ordered his soldiers to besiege the Prince Rabbit's warren in the fields of Fenlo. There were guards at every entrance, all with orders to kill any rabbit that approaches or leaves the warren, save for the Prince Rabbit who was to be captured. The King planned on making an example of the trickster by making him into a servile work beast in his kingdom, toting heavy loads like a horse. But as much as El-ahrairah wanted to remain free, he loved his people too much to risk their freedom for his. With only one other recourse to take, El-ahrairah and his faithful friend Rabscuttle decided to seek out the one being in the whole world with the power to save their people: the Black Rabbit of Inlé himself._

_Why do they call the Black Rabbit a male? When I met the Black Rabbit, "he" is a female rabbit. _Lily puzzled in silence, and she wanted to explain the Black Rabbit's true gender to the everyone, the doe felt nobody would believe her if she told them.

_For many moons, as King Darzin's soldiers watched the entrances to the warren, El-ahrairah had Rabscuttle and his Owsla dig a long tunnel beneath them, reaching towards an unguarded clearing. Soon after, they quietly slipped out to set forth on their journey. After many days and nights, the duo came to a desolate place and misty place, where a huge black hole awaited them in the center. Within that hole was the warren of the Black Rabbit himself. Rabscuttle at first urged the Prince Rabbit to reconsider, but El-ahrairah would dare anything, even face the Rabbit of Death eye-to-eye while risking his doom for theirs._

_With that conviction, they jumped in, finding themselves running down tunnel after tunnel until near the core of the world, they saw in the main burrow the Black Rabbit. Noting the living among his dead Owsla, he asked El-ahrairah why he had come here. El-ahrairah explained that he had come to trade his life for the lives of his people. However, the Black Rabbit told him that he never took bargains from the living, and knew that even if a deal was made, the Prince Rabbit would eventually think of ways to trick the black spirit into letting him leave the warren alive. Nevertheless, the Black Rabbit allowed El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle to stay in his warren as guests._

_Night after night, El-ahrairah would be invited to entertain the Black Rabbit with bets. Should the Prince Rabbit win one of them, the Black Rabbit would accept his bargain to take his life for his people. But should he lose, the Black Rabbit would take something from El-ahrairah save death itself. However, for each bet made, the Black Rabbit would win and take something from the Prince Rabbit, starting with his tail, then his whiskers, his ears, and so on. With each bet lost, the Prince Rabbit became less and less rabbit, all the while a concerned Rabscuttle would beg him to give up and leave this place. But El-ahrairah remained determined to save his people, no matter the cost._

Lily's ears drew back and her eyes widened in horror. How can the Black Rabbit do this to El-ahrairah? She recalled her first encounter with the Black Rabbit, remembering how gentle and warm she behaved to her. Then, she recalled how terrifying the Black Rabbit became when her red eyes gleamed a light so menacing, right after the doe learned of General Woundwort's homicidal task he made on Henry and vowed revenge, but the dark spirit exhorted her not to take revenge in the same manner Woundwort had done. _Maybe I judged a book by its cover too quickly._

_Despite the conviction, El-ahrairah felt his spirit begin to wane until one moon, he decided that if the Black Rabbit would not take his life by a deal, then he would have to find another way to help his people, even if it meant his own end. He had overheard from Owsla soldiers outside his and Rabscuttle's burrow about a place in the warren that carried the worst disease known to all rabbit-kind, the White Blindness. Deciding on one last recourse, the Prince Rabbit snuck out of his burrow and into that diseased area in the hopes of contracting the disease to spread among Darzin's soldiers._

_However, after a day and night, the Black Rabbit approached El-ahrairah, telling him that his attempts were in vain, for the White Blindness was carried by fleas who would then spread it from the ears of rabbits. And because the Black Rabbit had already taken his ears, he could never contract the disease and die. Nonetheless, the Rabbit of Death had seen that the Prince Rabbit was clearly desperate if he was willing to risk illness to save his people, showing that there truly was no end to El-ahrairah's love for his people, even if it meant losing his own life, proving his offer to be true. But to save face, he told El-ahrairah that he would save his people if he and Rabscuttle left and never returned, that he would come for them when their time had come and not before._

_After three full moons, the two have returned to find their warren not only surviving but thriving. It turns out the Black Rabbit indeed kept his word as he had claimed all the soldiers that Darzin sent and cast them beyond this world, to a place even more treacherous and desolate than the Black Rabbit's warren. As they looked on, Lord Frith shined upon El-ahrairah, for having gained wisdom from even the desolation that was the Black Rabbit's lair, gifting him with all that the Prince Rabbit had lost to the Black Rabbit, each gift restoring a bit of his true nature…_

"…It was said that there was a little starlight in them, but it was really quite faint, so not enough to give away a clever thief and caring leader like El-ahrairah!" Dandelion finished.

A faint applause started within the crowd, and everyone turned to see Lily applauding. She may have been disturbed by the details, but she grew relieved that everything turned out all right for El-ahrairah. This motivated all of the rabbits to applaud Dandelion, who smiled and gave a small bow.

As the applause died down, Hazel glanced up at the sky. The rabbits had been so enthralled in El-ahrairah's stories that no one realized how late it had gotten. The last rays of the sun peeked over the distant hills, and the owls will be out hunting soon. "It's almost Frith-down. We'd better get inside," he instructed.

The rabbits scurried off to their burrows underground to retire for the night. Whilst Lily prepared her bedding to make it look comfortable for her kittens to sleep in, Vilthuril entered her burrow, her expression a miserable frown.

"What's the matter?" Lily asked. "Didn't you like the stories?"

"Oh, I do. Very much, I do." Vilthuril nodded. "But there's something I need to tell you." She poked her head out of the burrow to make sure nobody is listening, then spoke in a whisper, "I just overheard Bigwig talking to Hazel-rah. They're both extremely concerned by what happened to Pipkin and Aubretia, and they fear the rest of the kittens might suffer the same fate if Woundwort caught them. They both talked it over and decided to confine all of the kittens to the warren, until Woundwort is defeated."

Lily gasped, staring at the runt doe and unable to process over what she just learned. "Are you serious?!"

"I am, serious."

"But they can't do this! Haven't they learned this isn't fair when I got confined to the warren?"

"Apparently, Hazel is sharing his concern with Bigwig over their safety."

Lily's face tightened in raw anger. She wanted to go out and confront them, but a fight will only make things worse. "Those two are more stubborn than El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle!"

"I understand, but there's more of what I have to tell you."

"What is it you want to tell me, Vilthuril?"

Vilthuril spoke in a voice barely a whisper, "I had another vision... a few rabbits from Cowslip's warren wish to leave that dreadful place and start a new life, but there are dangers along the way... Ohh, I don't know what sort of dangers they are. My mind is so clouded."

Lily stared at her for a second, trying to process this information. "Didn't you confine in Fiver about your vision? If there are rabbits in Cowslip's warren who want to leave, it might be good for them." On the inside, she was relieved that Cowslip is losing the loyalty of fellow rabbits who strongly oppose the shining wires.

"Yes, but he said to wait until tomorrow to tell Hazel-rah and Bigwig," Vilthuril added. "I wanted to tell you first because you are just as important to this warren as Hazel-rah, Fiver and Bigwig are. That's when I heard what they intend to do for our kittens."

"Look, we'll discuss this tomorrow with Hazel and Bigwig. Right now, go back to your burrow and sleep." Lily decided, ushering the runt doe to return to her sleeping quarters. Then she took her place in the nest beside her kittens, unable to sleep at first as she grew angry at what her mate had done behind her back. It wasn't long until Bigwig came back and fell asleep beside his family, acting like nothing happened.


	30. The Roundabout p1

Today seemed like another ordinary day out in the magnificent countryside and farmlands close to Watership Down, the sky was clear with a few clouds passing, the sun shone brighter than ever, plenty more kits had been born by several happy couples, and two troublesome bucks sneaking inside their way to Nuthanger farm for a raid. Dandelion and Hawkbit had just pulled a turnip out of the garden with difficulty, until Duster woke up and discovered two intruders in his master's garden.

The two bucks exchanged "We're busted" frowns before they turned tail and ran for their lives. The commotion alerted Bob, who woke up and started barking violently as he tugged on his rope when he tried to break free. Unfortunately, Dandelion tripped over his long legs and fell to the ground. Duster prepared to lunge forward and attack, when Hawkbit bravely leapt in front of him, diverting his attention away from his partner.

This provided Dandelion the chance to grab the turnip and escape deep within the brambles and an open hole in the stone wall. Hawkbit made a sharp turn, causing Duster to collide in a bush. Hawkbit managed to make it through the escape hole in time, whilst Duster continued barking at the spot where the rabbits once stood. Tom Cane stormed out of the house to see what all the racket is about, but he couldn't find anything or anyone.

On their return to the high hills, Hawkbit and Dandelion made sure that no other elil is following them, taking a break to rest beneath the down.

"_One_ measly turnip? Hardly what you call a 'successful' raid," commented Hawkbit, irked at today's failed raid.

Dandelion put down the turnip and then he glanced up at the sky when his ears caught sound of a familiar gull's screech.

"Hey, Kehaar!" Hawkbit called. "Down here!"

The seagull landed in front of the rabbits. "What'd you say? Kehaar is busy guy!"

"Oh, then you don't have time to help us get up the hill?" Hawkbit feigned exhaustion as he placed a paw over his forehead.

"…One time only, though," Kehaar agreed, just this once. He grabbed the turnip by the stem and took to the sky, carrying the vegetable in his beak.

Hawkbit winked at the smirking Dandelion. "See? Things are easy when you use your head."

The rabbits located at the top of the hill were silflaying, or the kittens played multiple games to pass the time, when a turnip had fallen and landed at their feet, much to their surprise.

Catching sight of the gull, Strawberry smiled at what she believed to be generosity. "Oh, brambles! Turnips by air. Kehaar is getting awfully thoughtful lately."

Elsewhere inside the burrow, the overjoyed couples exchanged congratulations over their newly born babies. Acorn and Buckthorn had mated with two does whom are Hyzenthlay's friends during their imprisonment in Efrafa, Rithla and Flesca. Buckthorn's mate, Rithla, had given birth to a pair of female kittens, she named them Knotgrass and Thyme. Flesca's newborn baby bucks were given the names Crowfoot and Foxglove (which was Acorn's idea to name him after the Threarah's blind council member).

Blackavar, having found true love with Haystack, became her mate and a very proud father of three kittens, a doe called Nyreem, and two bucks called Blackthorn and Bryony. The dark torn-eared rabbit knew he earned a family of his own at long last, after all the cruelty he was inflicted upon in Efrafa. He vowed to make sure his children will never suffer as he did and live a peaceful life on the high hills.

* * *

Far away in the deadly Warren of the Shining Wires, not everyone is living a happy life. A small group of rabbits had gathered together for an early breakfast of flayrah. However, nobody felt content whilst eating. Ever since that day when Hazel's band had visited their warren and Strawberry rebelled against Cowslip's dictatorship, this group began to feel themselves breaking apart from Cowslip's grasp. No longer did they yearn to surrender themselves to Man and his shining wires. No longer did they care to listen to poems of death. They determined to get out of this hell hole and live a free life in another place, without living in fear.

The small group consisted of Hickory, a buck with brown fur and a white underbelly, a white tuft of fur hair and light brown eyes. Marigold, a doe whose fur matched the color of the golden marigold flowers, she had white fur hair styled in curls and light green eyes. Their small band of friends whom shared their secrets were Gentian (an oxford brown colored buck with pale brown eyes), Flax (a pale blush colored buck with bright blue eyes), and Betony (a buck with fur the color of a yellow wood betony and light orange eyes). They could not trust anyone else with their secrets, but the rabbits hoped to convince a few more of the inhabitants to escape with them. There was just one problem, not one of them knew how to survive in the wild, so asking for help from Hazel and his friends seemed like their only hope.

"Two more rabbits went missing yesterday," said Hickory, through a silent voice so no one else can hear them.

Gentian's head shot up, alarmed. "Hickory! You know Cowslip forbids us to mention they are missing."

"The shining wires got them, we all know it."

"Any one of us might be next," worried Marigold.

"There's nothing we can do about it," Gentian sighed in disappointment.

"But we've got to do something!" Flax urged. "I don't want the snare to get me. I want to live."

"So do I, but if Cowslip finds out-" Betony came close to a panic, until Hickory shushed him.

"We can leave... like Strawberry did." Hickory decided, causing his friends to gasp in a fearful surprise. "She's free living with Hazel, Bigwig, Lily and the others."

"Remember?" Marigold recalled that day when the Watership rabbits left. "Hazel invited us to live in the high hills and relearn the ways of the rabbit."

"We should have gone when we had the chance," Gentian groaned.

"It's not too late," convinced Hickory. "We just have to be brave and-"

"Shh! Cowslip is coming!" Marigold warned, her ears cocked when she heard the rest of the warren's inhabitants coming, including their wretched leader.

Hickory's group resumed feeding on the flayrah, pretending like nothing is wrong and everyone is content. The rabbits began to eat their breakfast, whilst Cowslip approached the little group of rebellion.

"Sharing flayrah and secrets, are we friends?" Cowslip purred. "Shall I join you, then?"

"Uhh, not at all," Marigold offered, rather quickly. "Please, join us."

The old tan rabbit started to eat, but his presence put Hickory, Marigold and their friends on edge. Silently, they hoped he never suspected a thing. However, the suspicion in Cowslip's eyes as he gazed at them meant he regarded their little secret meetings, which had not go unnoticed, with distrust.

* * *

As soon as Dandelion reached the top of the hill, he panted heavily, "That hill... it gets higher every time."

"Works up the old appetite, though." Hawkbit caught up to him, this time truly exhausted. "Let's get at that turnip."

However, by the time Hawkbit and Dandelion reached the top of the hill, their eagerness to eat the turnip was met by disappointment upon discovering Pipkin and Aubretia munching on the turnip, savoring its delicious flavor. Their lunch was interrupted when the two glaring bucks approached them.

"Pardon me, young kits, but that's ours," scolded Hawkbit, behaving as if the kits had stolen a piece of his property.

"But we found it first!" protested Aubretia.

"And _we_ worked hard to earn it. Now, hand it over!" Dandelion demanded.

"Oh! We're sorry." Pipkin lowered his ears in shame as he gently pushed the eaten turnip toward the adults' feet.

Before the two bucks could take the turnip, Bigwig came rushing over and blocked their path to the turnip with a threatening scowl. "Leave off! I said they could have it!" he explained.

"If they want a turnip, then they should hop off and get their own," Hawkbit suggested.

"They _can't_ leave the warren!" Hazel objected, arriving on the scene with his brother. "The children are to stay around here until the war with Efrafa is over."

"If any more of them are caught and taken back to Efrafa, it'll be the end of them," Fiver added.

"So, my kits are having that turnip. _Clear_?" Bigwig reminded them, scowling.

Terrified of an angry father rabbit towering over them to protect his young, Hawkbit and Dandelion sulked as they hopped away.

"Remind me to get kidnapped by Woundwort," mumbled Hawkbit.

"Yeah, then neither of us would have to leave to get flayrah whenever we want it," agreed Dandelion.

Pipkin and Aubretia became shocked by what they heard, upsetting them deeply.

"Don't mind them," Bigwig assured his children, then he turned to his Chief Rabbit. "We'd best get on patrol, then. Bluebell, hop to it!" He gave out orders for his Owsla to get up and begin their usual routine of patrolling the area for strangers or elil.

"I'll come, too!" Pipkin volunteered, eager to join them.

Bigwig paused, then he turned to his adoptive son with a stern frown. "Pipkin, you heard Hazel. You and the other kittens are sticking close to home," he reminded him.

"Forever?"

"Until I say otherwise, now be good for your mother." The lion maned buck left to join his patrol.

Pipkin sighed in disappointment. Following his and Aubretia's recent escape from Efrafa, Pipkin and his sister found themselves overprotected by their families, all scared and fearing that the youngsters will be kidnapped again, this time probably killed by Woundwort if he ever caught them for the second time. This caused a rift between some rabbits who disapproved of this curfew and to the most of the inhabitants who obeyed Hazel and Bigwig's rule without question. Lily was one of those rabbits who rejected the curfew and understood how badly the little ones felt, sharing her experiences of being forbidden to leave the warren. She argued constantly with Bigwig and Hazel about it. Sadly, Bigwig had firmly put his foot down. So did Hazel, ending the conversation with severe words.

"Ah, there's our brave young'uns." Blackberry came over, accompanied by Boxwood.

"Just look at you two," Boxwood noticed their tiny faces were smeared in turnip crumbs and began stroking them tenderly. "You're a sight! We'll have you clean and tidy in a wink!"

Pipkin stole a silent scowl at the does, and Aubretia rolled her eyes at their ignorance of treating them like careless infants.

* * *

While on patrol, the Owsla met up with Nelthilta, Haystack and Strawberry collecting raspberries for the two disheartened kittens to eat, hoping it will cheer them up after given such a strict curfew, when suddenly Bigwig's nose whiffed oddly. The rabbits caught the scent and dove for cover, convinced it was an elil.

Two strange rabbits came hopping over the hillside. It was Hickory and Marigold, having bravely ventured out of Cowslip's warren in attempt to locate Hazel's warren. Betony, Gentian and Flax had agreed to cover for them until their return.

"We'll never find Hazel or his warren," sighed Hickory.

"We know they're in the high hills," replied Marigold, wiping off a patch of dirt on her leg. "Be patient, Hickory. We'll find them."

The two rabbits lolloped forward on, not realizing how closer they are to their destination. The Watership rabbits peered over the hill, keeping a close eye on these strangers.

"What do they want with us?" wondered Fiver.

Strawberry sniffed the air and her eyes lit widened in fear, recognizing the scent of where the strangers had come from. "I know that smell. They're from the Warren of the Shining Wires!"

"That means trouble."

"Let's find out how much then," Hazel decided, prepared to take action.

The Watership rabbits left their hiding spot and ambushed the two strangers as Bigwig shouted, "That's far enough!"

Hickory and Marigold halted in their tracks, startled. They found themselves surrounded by Hazel and his Owsla, looking quite scared and worried over what they are going to do to them. Strawberry got a closer look at the two rabbits and her eyes lit up in recognition.

"Hickory and Marigold!" she exclaimed.

"Strawberry, we found you!" Hickory gasped, relieved.

Marigold acknowledged the Chief Rabbit with delight. "And you're Hazel! We've been searching for your warren."

"We want to leave Cowslip's warren," Hickory explained their presence, almost pleading. "Help us, please."

The Watership rabbits exchanged unsure looks, not sure whether this might be a trick or if they are telling the truth. Upon their first encounter in that despicable warren, none of the other rabbits, other than Strawberry, wanted to leave and remained delusional in that cult to worship death and surrender themselves to the snares. Studying the eyes of Hickory and Marigold, Fiver could easily tell neither of them had those haunting blank expressions like the rest of the Cowslip's rabbits. They appeared so determined and desperate to leave their old warren.

"Let's bring them to our warren so we can discuss things," Fiver announced, gaining the shocked reaction from the rest of the group.

Trusting his brother, Hazel agreed and escorted the two newcomers to the high hills.

* * *

Deep within the tunnels of the warren, a saddened Pipkin and a weeping Aubretia passed several other kittens as they either played a game or aimed scathing glares in their direction, ignoring their presence. The two kittens met up with Kehaar and Hannah around the corner.

"Why the long faces, kids?" asked the mouse.

"We're not babies!" Pipkin replied, his head hung low.

"You sad cause you're not babies?" Kehaar cocked his head, confused.

"No, everyone is treating us like babies!" Aubretia whined, her ears dropped to the side. "We don't want to be treated like stupid babies!"

"Blackberry won't even let me go and help Yona look for grubs," Pipkin further explained. "I _always_ do."

"I'll do it for you, Pipkin." Hannah volunteered, kindly.

"But you don't even like Yona."

"Oh, yeah, but I'll do it anyway. You stay here where it's safe." Hannah's words only meant to sound helpful, but it made things worse for Pipkin and Aubretia.

"Even Hannah's doing it," sobbed Pipkin.

"Doing what?" asked Kehaar.

"Treating me like a baby. All our friends are out on the down and we're stuck here."

"And none of the kits will play with us," added Aubretia.

"Oh, that is _big_ bummer," the gull attempted to sympathize with them, "like if rabbit tell me to stay out of the sky."

From her burrow, Lily could overhear what her children were lamenting about. It broke her heart to helplessly watch them confined to the warren, prisoners in their home. Her brows scrunched low at the unfair bullying they received from the other kittens. And Bigwig's stubbornness was starting to get on her nerves. "I gotta do something," she whispered, determined to set things right for her children.

Bounding off through the tunnel, Lily overheard the other rabbits engaged in conversation. Just as she was about to state her case, she discovered her friends talking with two visitors that she had never seen before.

"I told Hickory and Marigold they could join us, but uhh… they're set on starting their own warren," Hazel explained to everyone present in the Honeycomb the reason for their newcomers' visit.

"By _yourselves_?" questioned Blackberry.

"There are many of us at Cowslip's warren, but we couldn't _all_ leave without Cowslip noticing," said Marigold.

"We'd hope you'd show us how to live in the wild, then we'd teach our friends," Hickory added.

"When we're ready, we'll all leave Cowslip's warren together."

"It's a _hard_ _job_ building a warren," Bigwig stated. "You have a lot to learn."

But Marigold would not be deterred, neither was Hickory. She looked so eager to get out of that terrible cult. "We don't care! We can't live in the shadow of the shining wire any longer."

At last, Lily found her voice and made her presence be known. "I think we should help Hickory and Marigold build a new warren for them. Some of Cowslip's rabbits have seen the light. And if they want to leave, then we should help them."

Everyone's heads turned to stare at the doe in speechless bewilderment.

Hazel began to think deeply about what she advised. "Hmmm... it'll be nice having neighbors."

"And allies," Bigwig nodded. "Two warrens against Efrafa is better than one."

"What about moving them into my old warren at Redstone?" Hyzenthlay suggested using her former warren as a home for Hickory and Marigold.

"Capital idea!" Captain Broom agreed. "Shame to think good old Redstone sitting empty."

"Oh, it'd be lovely to see life thriving at Redstone again!" Lady Blossom smiled.

"It's settled then. We'll all help!" Hazel reached his decision.

Everyone began voicing their approval to pitch in and assist in fixing up Redstone for their visitors to live in, not to mention teaching them how to live in the wild if they are going to survive. Hickory and Marigold were delighted as they exchanged loving smiles at each other. They were thankful to Lily for sticking up for them and to grateful to Hazel for supporting them.

"Can I come with you to Redstone?" Pipkin hopped over and offered to help out. "I can show them how to talk to the other animals and-"

"Sorry, Pipkin. Maybe another time." Hazel politely refused, and once again insisted sternly, "Besides, you're not allowed to leave the warren."

Feeling rejected, a hurt Pipkin left the Honeycomb. Lily felt sorry for the poor little buck. She wanted to give Hazel a piece of her mind when her thoughts were interrupted by Captain Broom talking about his glory days in his youth.

"Ah, we had grand times at Redstone," he recalled, "fighting off stoats, raiding farms on the far side of the road, dodging owls on moonlit nights."

Those stories didn't sound exciting as Hickory and Marigold stared at the elderly buck, speechless in fear.

Irked, Lady Blossom roughly elbowed her mate in the gut. "Don't scare them, you old goat!" Then she flashed a pleasant smile at the couple, "Living free and in the wild may be thrilling for you, dearies..."

"...but it's not _all_ fun and games." Bigwig aimed a slight smirk of his own before he left.

* * *

"Aubretia and I were prisoners in Efrafa," Pipkin sulked as he and Kehaar wandered aimlessly around the area, "now we're prisoners in Watership Down, just like Mother."

"Hazel and Bigwig just worry about you and your sister." Kehaar tried to offer comfort to the young buck and reason for the adults' actions. "Everyone's scared to lose you both again."

"They just don't want us to grow up."

The gull thought it over for second, and then he got an idea of what he believed can help the young buck's problem. "So, don't grow _up_. Grow _down_..." his head lowered forward to show his point, "be a _big_ baby. See if they like _that_?"

Pipkin looked up at him, unsure at first. "I don't think they'd like that at all." After thinking it over, he decided to give it a try and started acting like a whiny crybaby. "_Ohhh_, it's so hot! _Ohhh_, find me some shade!" He fell on his back and pawed the air. "I want some _rhubarb_!"

Kehaar squawked, approvingly. "Yeah, yeah, yeah! That's good! Be a _big_ baby."

"Well, I don't want to be a big baby!" Aubretia scoffed at her adopted brother's childish behavior. "I want to grow up and become a fierce warrior, just like Daddy..." her words trailed off, remembering her father's stubborn refusal to grant her access to leave. "Then again, he'll probably never let me leave if I show him how brave I am."

Then she found a small patch of purple loosestrife growing nearby. Still hungry, Aubretia leaned in to take a bite when a paw stomped on the loosestrife, preventing her from eating it.

"Oye, sis!" Basil's voice interrupted her thoughts as he and Sandwort glowered at the baffled young doe. "That's _my_ lunch!"

"But _I_ found it first!" Aubretia defended, angrily.

"And _we'll_ eat it!" Sandwort bullied, aiming a scathing glare at the poor kitten. "Loosestrife is for future members of the Owsla only, not for _babies_ like you and Pipkin! Now, hop it!"

A disappointed Aubretia almost turned to leave, hearing her older brother and his friend laughing cruelly at their superiority. Suddenly, she paused. Her memories in Efrafa concocted a plan to convince her father that she is not a baby. General Woundwort often used intimidation to terrify Vervain, so why not do the same to those other incompetent kittens. _Woundwort is a fierce warrior, and he is the strongest rabbit in the world, so... _

Aubretia whirled herself around to lung at Sandwort, biting a piece of fur off his neck and yanked it off. Sandwort released a cry of anguish, unable to register what recently occurred. Before he could do anything else, Aubretia wrestled and pounced on top of him, pinning him to the ground with fire in her eyes.

"GET OUT!" ordered Aubretia.

"Hey, you can't tell me what-" Sandwort had no time to finish.

**"OUT! Or I'll kill you where you stand!"** Her voice raised to a higher volume to sound threatening and cold.

A shocked Basil stared at the fallen Sandwort in silent disbelief at his little sister's physical strength and actions. Just as Aubretia allowed Sandwort to get up, both he and Basil gawked at Aubretia, who stood her ground and prepared for a rematch. They exchanged frightened faces as the two young bucks fled the scene with their tails between their legs.

"Who's the baby, _now_?" Aubretia laughed in triumph, and began eating the loosestrife she deserved.

* * *

Having left the high hills, Hickory and Marigold cautiously returned to Cowslips warren. The two rabbits looked around, remaining careful and cautious so not to alert Cowslip, Silverweed or any of the inhabitants who firmly stayed loyal to their delusional leader.

"I don't see Cowslip," Hickory said. "Maybe he didn't notice we were gone."

In their view, Betony and Gentian and Flax emerged from the bushes, all eager to learn what their friends had accomplished on their journey.

"Good news, we found Hazel and his warren," Hickory reported. "He promised to help us start our own warren."

The rabbits exchanged looks of amazement. At last, their dreams of escape and living in a free warren with no snares was coming true.

"A home of our own?" Gentian cheered. "Imagine that!"

"We'll live free as Frith meant us to."

"Freedom! Imagine that!"

"Quiet!" Flax silenced the buck's loud mouth. "Do you want the whole warren hearing you?"

"Now scatter, before Cowslip sees us," Marigold instructed.

No sooner had the rabbits scattered in different directions among the warren, a familiar wicked face peered through an opening in the hedge where a snare was left untouched, but awaited its unsuspecting victim.

"Freedom is a lie, friends..." Cowslip warned, joined by a sadistic chuckle, "there's no escape from the shining wires." Somehow, he found out what Hickory and Marigold's plan is, and the cult leader was hell bent to put a stop to their foolishness.

* * *

The next day, Hawkbit, Dandelion, Silver and Bluebell were given the task of instructing or teaching Hickory and Marigold to learn the ways of the wild rabbit and to survive in the outside world. The four rabbits escorted their allies to the abandoned and empty Redstone warren to prepare for their upcoming arrival when they've completed their lessons and ready to move in.

"Welcome to Redstone warren," Hawkbit announced, though it sounded sarcastic due to the warren's poor condition.

"It's not much since the former occupants had been wiped out by the Great Sickness," Bluebell mentioned, though he received a slap on the head by Silver, who shook his head at him so not to frighten Hickory and Marigold.

"Something of a rat hole, wouldn't' you say?" Dandelion suggested.

"Well, it's not as splendid as Cowslip's warren and not half the view," said Silver.

To the four bucks' surprise, Hickory and Marigold fell in love with Redstone warren instantly without question and accepting it as their new home.

"It's beautiful," awed Marigold.

"It's home," Hickory agreed in wonder.

Dandelion looked over at his friends, smiling, "Easy to please, aren't they?"

"I suppose it's better than living in a warren full of snares." Hawkbit shrugged his shoulders.

Trying to get inside the warren proved to be difficult when a large spiderweb hung attached to the main entrance as Marigold found out sooner, as she said, "How do we get in with this in the way?"

"Oh, you really don't know much about anything, do you?" Hawkbit grunted, then decided to make a demonstration. "Here, like this." The grey rabbit lunged at the spiderweb, using his head and ears to catch the web's center. The sticky web got caught on his ears and head, but the entrance was open now. "There! First lesson in burrow cleaning. Have a go, Marigold."

Noticing another web attached to the side wall of the entrance, Marigold got her ears tangled in the web. She did manage to remove the web, but it stuck to her ears. Marigold didn't mind at all, finding the idea of burrow cleaning amusing as she giggled, which made Hawkbit smile proudly.

* * *

Back on Watership Down, Bigwig found a spot in front of a pile of boulders to lie down and take a nap. He relaxed his body against the boulder pile and yawned. When he noticed Lily approaching him, Bigwig felt an excited arousal growing inside of him.

"Hello, my beautiful doe," he greeted.

However, Lily wasn't in the mood for his romantic alluring. "Err, yeah. Hello, darling." She wanted to get straight to the point. "Listen, there's something I need to talk to you about."

"Oh, that can wait." Whatever it was she wanted to discuss with him, Bigwig had no time for such nonsense. There was no other rabbit close by and they were completely alone. "How about a little _quiet_ time with me?" With lightning swiftness, he shoved her to the ground and pinned her down with his strong arms.

"Whoa! Bigwig, stop!" Lily protested, taken off guard. She struggled to crawl out of his hold, but she could not free herself.

Smirking, Bigwig traveled his forepaw across her face down to her neck. He leaned in and kissed her really hard. Claws extended as the excitement grew stronger than ever, engraving in the dirt. Lily tried to resist, but the feel of his tongue massaging the inner cavern of her mouth and those massive paws kneading at her chest brought an aura of defeat on her. He always had this effect on her. The rabbits made out like this until their lips parted.

"Ah, lovely." Bigwig gazed at the form of his beloved doe with love and lust in his eyes.

Having forgotten the true reason of finding him, Lily had given in to his desires. "Oh, Bigwig. Take me now!"

Just as the lion buck shifted his aroused body closer to her own, Pipkin suddenly appeared on top of the boulder. With a sneaky growl, he positioned himself and jumped right on top of Bigwig's back.

"Aah!" the lion buck cried, alert and immediately leapt up in defense, until he realized the danger was only little Pipkin.

Lily reared up, startled and frightened by this sudden intrusion. Discovering whom the culprit is, the doe sighed in relief.

"Hello, Father," he greeted with an innocent smile. "Hello, Mother. Were you both asleep?"

"What did it look like?" Bigwig replied, slightly irked his alone time had been ruined.

"We were just, uhhh..." Lily had no excuse to cover up what she and her mate came close to doing.

"Let's play tail tag!" Pipkin's tail wagged, excitedly.

"We already did, _and_ Bob-Stones _and_ Roll the Acorn." Bigwig refused, placing himself on the soft grass for some sleep. "Now I'm having a... a nap with Lily."

"Uh, yes! A nap!" Lily nodded, thinking it provided a good cover up.

"But I'm _bored_ and there's _nothing_ to do," Pipkin whined pathetically, and then he got an idea as he leaned in closer to whisper in his father's ear. "Let's go find some sweet, delicious, lovely clover."

"If you want clover, my boy, go and find it yourself!" Bigwig urged, trying to get rid of him and earn his alone time with Lily.

"But I'm not _allowed_ to go anywhere by myself, you know that," Pipkin reminded his adopted father of the strict confinement to the warren.

Bigwig turned to Lily, hoping she could take him. Suddenly the doe's ears twitched when she heard the kits shouting or scuffling nearby. Locked in a tug-of-war over a measly flower to eat, Aubretia and Celandine growled at one another in a bitter competition.

"I'm sorry, Bigwig." Quickly, Lily rushed forward to the spot where the two kits ended their little contest by tearing split the flower in two pieces and collided backwards on impact. "That's enough!" the doe scolded them.

With a heavy sigh, Bigwig relented. "All right. Come along, then."

But Pipkin sat down on the grass, behaving like an exhausted child who's all tuckered out from playing. "I'm too tired now. You fetch me it."

Rolling his eyes, Bigwig had to find someone to babysit the lad until his return. Luckily for him, two does were close by. "Blackberry! Strawberry!"

"What is it?" Strawberry asked.

"Entertain this little..." Bigwig had no words to give him a nickname, aware it can hurt the lad's feelings or Lily will give him hell, "Pipkin for a while. I'm off to get him some darn clover."

The two does nodded obediently, just as Pipkin exclaimed, "Lots of it!"

And it caused Bigwig to give him a stern frown.


	31. The Roundabout p2

Training Hickory and Marigold to live in the wild wasn't easy, but the two rabbits were willing to give it their best shot. Their lessons took place near a shallow brook in the forest, not far from Watership Down and out of sight from elil in the open country. Hawkbit, Dandelion and Silver proved to be stern yet fair teachers, although Bluebell proved to be quite clumsy and a screw up.

For example, Bluebell covered himself in blackberry juice, making sure it was sticky enough so he could stick a bunch of old owl feathers all over his body and appear as a frightening owl. Silver had instructed Hickory and Marigold to run as fast as they can for the nearest cover in order to dodge from elil that attacked from the sky, as Bluebell imitated an owl's hoots to sound terrifying and waved his feathered arms. Hickory and Marigold ducked for cover underneath the brambles, however Bluebell lunged forward in attempt to swoop down and grab one of them. The only problem is rabbits can't fly as Bluebell found out sooner when he hung in the air for a second, then plummeted down toward a spikey thorn bush.

"YEOW!" cried Bluebell.

The five rabbits cringed when his cries were heard. Bluebell crawled out of the thorny bush; his body was practically covered from head to paw. With a heavy sigh, Silver set to work on removing the thorns from the poor blue buck. To pass the time, Hawkbit decided to test Hickory and Marigold of how to outwit a hungry fox. Dandelion took the role of imitating the growls of a famished fox while he stayed low to the ground and crawled through the long grass.

Then Kehaar came flying over to check up on them and landed behind the blonde buck. "Pretty good fox, Dandy-lion," he complimented.

No answer was responded when Dandelion reared around and tried to tackle the gull, but Kehaar hovered high enough out of his reach.

"Fox almost got me!" the gull shouted.

"Right!" Hawkbit coached his two students, explaining, "The fox has your scent. He'll get you in a minute. So, what do you do?"

Hickory's paws shuffled in the air as he worried, "I don't know. There's no place to hide."

"What about the grass?"

Dandelion's fox growl imitations sounded louder.

"But the fox is in there!" Marigold replied. "He'll track us!"

Hawkbit moved closer to the brook's edge and dipped his two back legs in the cool water. "Not if he loses your scent."

"We go through the water, then double back." Marigold figured it would be a good idea.

"Better do it quick, then."

Without another word, Hickory and Marigold lolloped toward the brook. The water splashed as the two rabbits leapt from one side then doubled back. Unfortunately, Hickory forgot to look where he was going and stumbled over a rock embedded in the brook. Marigold left the brook and rushed inside the long grass, passing the test.

Dandelion emerged from the long grass, licking his chops. "Hmm, dinner." He leapt out of the grass and pounced on a terrified Hickory, creating a huge splash.

Feeling like a failure, Hickory walked out of the brook and back to shore where Marigold and Kehaar came out and the doe took her place beside him. She noticed how disappointed he looked and tried to comfort him.

"Out here, you don't get second chances," reminded Hawkbit.

"I'll never be as fast as you Dandelion or as a clever as you, Hawkbit," sighed Hickory, dejected as he glanced at the blonde buck.

Hawkbit cleared his throat, trying to brush off the compliment and not to let his ego increase his arrogance. "Well, of course we have _more_ experience, but every rabbit's got it in them to be an El-ahrairah."

"Remember the Owsla saying?" Silver's voice brought their attention as he returned, alongside a disheveled Bluebell. "'Who dares wins'?"

"Uh, no." Hickory stared at the silver colored buck, totally confused. "We never had an Owsla. Cowslip refuses to have one because we are protected by the Man who feeds and... err, snares us."

"Oh?" Dandelion's eyes widened in surprise and his mouth made the shape of an O. "Then you don't know the story of how El-ahrairah dared and won?"

"We never told any El-ahrairah stories, except we remembered Bluebell telling the story of El-ahrairah and the King's Lettuce," added Marigold. "Cowslip says they're silly. He always said El-ahrairah is a myth to delude rabbits."

"Shows what that idiot knows," grunted Hawkbit.

A light bulb lit up over Dandelion's head as got an idea. "Right then, make yourselves comfortable. It's time for a story."

The group gathered together in front of Dandelion as he began to tell the story.

_Once, all rabbits lived above ground without burrows. The elil were preying on them, night and day. Dead rabbits and dug-up burrows trailed wherever the elil went. It was a terrible time, and El-ahrairah did not know what to do to help his people. So, he and Rabscuttle went to Prince Rainbow to seek his help. Prince Rainbow told them to go to the Valley of Wisdom and waited for Frith to appear. So, they did. At the Valley of Wisdom, Lord Frith did shine upon the two rabbits that waited for him._

_"Great Frith, make me wise so I may know how to save my people," pleaded El-ahrairah._

_"Wisdom is earned, El-ahrairah," advised Frith, as his rays of light shone upon a distant ledge over a deep chasm. "You must jump and prove your worth."_

_It seemed an impossible leap, even for El-ahrairah. A concerned Rabscuttle begged him not to try, for he feared the Prince Rabbit will not make it and fall to his death. But El-ahrairah loved his people, and he would do anything for them. Even if it meant his doom._

_So, he jumped over the chasm. His faith and courage carried him like a bird on the wind. For a second, Rabscuttle panicked, looking away when the Prince Rabbit almost lost the ledge under his paws. But then came a miracle. El-ahrairah made it to the ledge with success._

_"Your heart is true, El-ahrairah," praised Frith. "Wisdom is yours."_

_And as Frith's light touched him, El-ahrairah figured out a way to save his people. They would dig holes and live underground, safe from the elil. Warming themselves in winter. Happy forever…_

"So, El-ahrairah dared to gain wisdom and he won," Marigold awed in wonder at such an intriguing tale. "What a wonderful story! Thank you, Dandelion."

"Have you ever dared?" asked Hickory.

At those words, Dandelion's posture froze. Everyone thought he had gone tharn at first, but suddenly he scoffed. "Well, more the most. Once I dared to enter the cavern of a hrududu!"

"Oh, not that one again," grumbled Hawkbit, as he heard this story before multiple times and wanted no part in listening to it.

Marigold gawked, puzzled by this strange word. "What's a hrududu?"

"It has a hard shell like a tortoise," Dandelion explained. "Man rides around in them, and it makes a loud honking sound. Bigwig once said they're harmless, so long as you leave them alone by night. He doesn't believe they're alive at all. Of course, Lily always called the hrududus 'cars', because that's what her humans called them, but to each their own. Anyway, at nighttime the hrududu have these big lights that shine on you. When it draws you closer to it, you go tharn, and then they rush you."

"So, what happened in the cavern?" Hickory asked, his curiosity increased.

"I saw two bright lights coming at me." Dandelion's voice got dramatically spooky. "The eyes of the hrududu! The roar... the smell... closer, it came."

Hickory shuddered in terror as he shielded his eyes with his paws.

"Oh, what did you go?" asked Marigold.

"I shouted _'Stop_!' And it did." Dandelion stood up on his two back legs, his left arm stuck out as he indicated a stop sign.

Hearing this, Hickory removed his paws from his eyes as he gazed at Dandelion, awestruck. "You must be terrifically brave."

"I dared, and I won." Dandelion's cockiness increased his ego. "Simple as that."

Irked at the blonde buck's boasting, Silver decided to end their little break time and resume back to training. "Right, story time is over." He pushed his heavy form in front of Dandelion to knock him aside. "Next lesson; eagle dodging. It's similar to owl dodging, except eagles are much bigger and tougher to avoid."

"I suppose you're going to force me to disguise myself as an eagle." An irked Bluebell tried to lick the sticky blackberry juice off his fur.

"Yes, Bluebell, we are."

In the brook, Kehaar tried to catch his supper by daring his prey, which seemed to have no affect for him. "C'mon, fish! I dare _you_!"

* * *

When the night had come, all of the rabbits had turned themselves in for a good night's sleep. Bigwig snored peacefully beside Lily, who never made a sound in her sleep. The couple had built a smaller burrow for their children to sleep in, allowing the couple to sleep in their large nest.

Then, Pipkin entered the adults' burrow. First, he yawned, then scratched his hind leg behind his ear, and finally placed his smaller form beside his mother. His movements had awoken his parents, though Bigwig was not pleased at all.

"All right, Pipkin. Out you get," he murmured to the little intruder.

"I'm too afraid, Father. What if a fox came into the burrow and got me?" Pipkin moaned, feigning fear. "Or a weasel or a badger?"

"I doubt a fox could get in." Lily doubted, then she reassured his little nightly terrors, "I'm sure you'll be fine. After all, we're quite safe in here."

The doe turned herself over and went back to sleep. Bigwig moved further away from this little terror in his burrow. He couldn't even sleep due to Pipkin moving around in the nest in a childish manner. It got worse for poor Bigwig when the rest of his children came crawling inside the burrow, wishing to sleep closer their parents just like their adopted brother. Violet sucked her paw like a baby sucking her paw and Pipkin's quiet moaning created quite the nuisance for their father.

Fortunately, Lily slept more soundly as Aubretia crept beside her mother to sleep beside her. Feud up with Pipkin disturbing his slumber, Basil prepared to give him a good cuffing to shut him up, when he noticed Aubretia had one eye open and shot him a very stern scowl that warned, 'Don't even think about it.' Aggravated, Basil went to sleep.

* * *

During their first night in Redstone, Hawkbit and Dandelion and Bluebell and Silver slept soundly beneath a few giant red boulders. The burrows inside the warren had not been cleaned out yet, nor was there any room for six rabbits. It was scheduled to be built and fixed up tomorrow. Not to mention sleeping above ground was another part of the test. Kehaar dozed off outside the burrow, just in case to keep watch for elil. An owl's distant hoot put Hickory and Marigold on edge; neither of them couldn't sleep a wink, though it wasn't just the owl keeping them up. Dandelion's stories kept them awake as they thought deeply over what he told them.

"I hate sleeping above ground," sighed Hickory.

"It's part of our lessons," reminded Marigold. "If you're brave once, maybe it gets easier."

Then Hickory came up with an idea, one that could put his life or Marigold's in jeopardy. "We should face down a hrududu like Dandelion did," he decided. "Then we'd never be afraid of anything else ever."

"Do we dare?"

"I think we have to."

Making sure that neither of their teachers nor Kehaar heard them, the two rabbits ventured out of the warren and headed for a nearby roundabout where a small green hill stood in the middle of a circling road. The first rays of sunshine appeared over the horizon by the time Hickory and Marigold arrived at the roundabout, carelessly hopping further out on the road.

"So, where are the hrududus?" wondered Hickory.

His question was soon to be answered as a blue pick-up truck rounded the bend, heading straight towards a stupefied Hickory. The truck's horn honked loudly, ordering the wandering rabbit to get out of the way.

Marigold gasped, fearing her friend will be crushed. "Hickory, run!" she yelled.

Hickory's mind had almost gone tharn until the doe's voice brought him back to earth as he lunged for the nearest green patch of grass. Unfortunately, he stood at the bottom of the roundabout. He watched the truck disappear in the distance.

"Hickory, come back!" shouted Marigold. "Over here!"

But Hickory was too paralyzed to move an inch. He tried to step out onto the road, but the fear had taken over him. "I-I... I can't," he replied, panting.

Another vehicle, an orange car, passed them by, further terrifying the poor rabbit.

"Alright, I'll get help!" Marigold told him, before rushing back to the forest to find the others.

* * *

Around that time, Hawkbit and the others had woken up to discover their two students had vanished in the middle of the night. Agitated and worried, the group began searching within the forest, either hoping they had no wandered off nor eaten by an elil. Kehaar searched by air so he can get a better view. So far, nobody could find them.

"For rabbits who haven't learned to hide, they're not bad at it," Hickory said.

"You don't think a fox got them, do you?" worried Bluebell.

"I don't think so," Silver disagreed. "There was no scent of a fox at Redstone."

"Hickory! Marigold!" Dandelion called out, looking back and forth. "Come out! Where are you?"

A squawk sounded as Kehaar signaled he was coming in for a landing. "I see no bunnies," he reported, his wings on his hips. "Want me to go further?"

"Oh, don't bother," Hawkbit snorted in refusal, convinced those two rabbits had deserted them and returned to the Warren of the Shining Wires. "They've probably gone back to join Cowslip and his warren of weirdos."

Suddenly, a familiar female voice broke the silence of the forest, "HAWBIT! DANDELION! _HELP_!"

"It's Marigold!" Bluebell smiled, relieved.

"Over here!" Hawkbit shouted, letting her know where they are. But he shook his head at loud the doe's voice was. "Their next lesson is running quietly."

An agitated Marigold came around the corner and screeched to a halt, her eyes wide and her breathing heavy. "It's Hickory! He's trapped in the middle of a huge Man trail!"

"What's he doing there?" Dandelion gaped, shocked that Hickory could do something so reckless like this.

Instead of explaining herself, Marigold grasped Dandelion's paw, believing he is the savior who can save her friend from the danger. "You can stop the hrududus, you know how! They just keep coming and coming!"

"Okay, take it easy, lass." Silver immediately soothed her anxiety. "Let's go and see what's to be done."

* * *

Back on Watership Down, Lily and Bigwig exited the warren. Each rabbit got a different sleep last night. Lily felt refreshed and ready to start the day. Bigwig, on the other hand, longed to go back to his burrow and sleep without any noise to disturb him at all.

Hazel greeted them as he and his family were silflaying at a rather large cluster of clovers for breakfast. "Morning. Goodness, Bigwig, you look as though you've been dream running all night."

"You have to _sleep_ to dream," groaned Bigwig.

"Pipkin and Violet kept him up almost all night," explained Lily.

The four kits hopped out of the warren's entrance. All of them stretched their paws out and arched their backs to stretch the sleep out of their systems. The other kits wandered at the far edge of the clover patch to eat. Aubretia stomped her foot on a rare four-leaf clover before Basil can eat it, standing her ground as he fumed at her silently. But the adults were more concerned about eating rather than notice what occurred.

"Father left me all alone in the burrow," complained Pipkin.

"The dew hasn't even dried, Pipkin." Hazel responded. "It couldn't have been all that long."

The adults tried to avoid the little rascal to get some space, but Pipkin refuses to fail as he continues with the plan. He placed himself between Hazel and Bigwig to get their attention while he ate.

"I'm not supposed to be left on my own at all," he reminded, smiling. "Something _terrible_ might happen to me."

"It very well might, my lad," warned Bigwig, sternly.

* * *

On the roundabout, a panic-stricken Hickory was running aimlessly around a duck-crossing signpost. Every time a car drove by, such as a green vehicle with no hood, the poor rabbit was sent into a frenzy. Luckily, Kehaar arrived on the scene.

"Sit still, you crazy rabbit!" the gull scolded. "It's okay!"

But Hickory didn't seem to hear him at all. Kehaar landed beside the five remaining rabbits on the other side of the road. Hawkbit's eyes almost bulged out of his head when another car shot past them, almost bringing back at memory for his and Dandelion's childhood, involving a hrududu in a cavern. Before the memory could take hold of him, the dark grey buck shook his head to snap himself out of it.

"We've got to do something before he runs under a hrududu and gets crushed!" Dandelion exclaimed.

A frowning Silver turned to the concerned Marigold, ready for some answers. "I think it's time you explain yourself," he growled.

Marigold lowered her head in defeat. "We thought if we dared to do this, we'd never be frightened again."

"There's daring, and then there's dumb," Hawkbit commented.

"So, in other words, what you and Hickory did was incredibly dumb," Bluebell agreed, shaking his head. "Did you ever stop to think that Dandelion told you some truth about facing a hrududu?"

"I-I don't understand." Marigold was confused, unable to believe Dandelion would lie to her and Hickory.

Dandelion's ears dropped at having been caught in a myth. "Uhh, well you see-"

Scorning, Hawkbit decided to tell the true story of Dandelion and the hrududu. "When Dandelion and I were kits, we used to play with our friends close to the road. We've been warned never to go near the road nor the cavern of the hrududu by our parents. It made us cautious, so cautious that it made us targets for bullies like Toadflax and Scabious. So, Toadflax dared one of us to go inside the cavern and face down a hrududu to prove we are not chickens. Dandelion volunteered, and when he did it, the lights of a hrududu shone on him and it was approaching fast. The rest of us shouted at him to get out of the way, but Dandelion had gone tharn. Bigwig came to the rescue and pulled him out of the way in time."

"Is this true, Dandelion?" Marigold asked, fixing her gaze at him with a slight frown.

With no other excuse, Dandelion admitted somberly, "Every word." He realized that this little incident was all his fault, if only had he not boasted. However, fessing up to his little white lie suddenly empowered Dandelion with a renewed sense of courage. "I'll make up to you, Marigold. I'll get Hickory back for you."

To everyone's surprise, Dandelion bolted across the road with lightning speed and made it to the other side, just as a yellow car roared behind him. He pounced on the terrified Hickory and pinned him to the ground, forcing the buck to cease running.

"Get a hold of yourself, Hickory!" the blonde buck shouted. "I'm here. We need to go back now."

"I'm not going, I can't!" Hickory refused, shaking his head. "I'm too scared!" His body tensed up as he shivered.

Hawkbit got impatient with those two just standing on the roundabout as he yelled, "Well, come on, then!"

"We're a bit stuck!" Dandelion called out from the other side. "Any suggestions?"

"Well, apart from sprouting wings and flying back-"

"We got Kehaar, you idiot!" Silver chided.

Kehaar's wings started flapping rapidly when he knew what to do. "Hazel's always got answers. I get him!" The gull took to the skies as he circled around back to Watership Down.

* * *

As the rabbits silflayed, Aubretia continued maintaining her dominance over the kits, especially at Sandwort and Basil. It felt so good to pay them back for their bullying. The only kit who disapproved of her attitude is Melsa. She was the only kit who pitied Pipkin and Aubretia, and she hated the others' aggressive taunts at them.

"You can't keep doing this any longer," Melsa advised her friend through a quiet whisper. "Because your behavior is no better than our brothers."

"I am not!" Aubretia stubbornly defended herself.

The peace and quiet at breakfast ended when a squeal startled them. Pipkin came rushing back to the ground, looking terrified.

"What's up your nose now, Pipkin?" questioned Bigwig.

"I got too near the edge," Pipkin replied. "What if I tumbled all the way down to the bottom?"

"So, what if it did?" Hannah grumbled, annoyed. "It might knock some sense into your silly head."

"Maybe you should go underground where it's safe," Bigwig suggested. "Off you go now. Scoot!"

There came a gull's cry from above. Kehaar came flying toward the rabbits, landing on the grass. Pipkin pretended to think the gull was a bird of prey, or an elil, as he ran all over the place. "Elil, elil!" he screamed.

"Oh look, the big baby is scared of a gull!" Sandwort sneered, smugly.

An embarrassed Pipkin found himself in the center of ridicule and laughter as the kittens chortled at him. However, this was enough to send Aubretia in a rage. She lunged forward and pounced on Sandwort, scratching his face and bit his ear. Sandwort squealed in pain and anguish. Nobody was laughing now.

Bigwig had quite enough of Pipkin's childish antics and shocked by Aubretia's violent behavior as he rushed forward, pulling his daughter off Sandwort. "That's enough!" he scolded.

"What is it, Kehaar?" asked Hazel, as he got Sandwort back on his feet.

"We got trouble, Hazel," Kehaar explained, hurriedly. "Hickory is stuck on the other side of the road; You got to come now!"

"Right, let's get a move on!" Hazel agreed to rescue a fellow rabbit.

"Can I come?" Pipkin asked, hopefully.

Bigwig fixed a hard glare at him in disbelief. "_You_?! You're afraid of your own shadow lately!"

Lily folded her arms as she sternly demanded an explanation for his childish behavior. "Pipkin, what's going on?"

With a sigh, Pipkin confessed everything. "I was acting like a baby on purpose, and Aubretia has been fighting with the other kits because they were bullying us. You're supposed to grow tired of me and tell me to go off on my own. And Aubretia hoped that if you saw how brave and strong as she was, you'd also tell her to go off on her own."

Stunned, Lily turned to her daughter. "Is this true?"

Aubretia nodded her head in defeat. "I thought if I showed Father that I could handle myself, he'd stop treating me like a baby. Ever since he and Uncle Hazel confined us to the warren, the other kits have been making fun of us."

"We were only trying to protect you," Bigwig replied, rather quietly. His adopted children's words stung him to the core, remembering his attempts at protecting his mate had put a strain on their relationship.

"I know you're worried either me or Aubretia will get caught by Efrafa again, but you can't lock us up for something that _might_ happen. It could happen to _anyone_," Pipkin continued, enticing his mother's words. "I didn't feel like I was home in the warren. I felt like a prisoner."

Lily felt a warm smile spread across her mouth, proud of her adopted son repeating her own words when she had been confined to the warren against her wishes and had to remind everyone that Efrafa that she and her children aren't the only they are after; the Efrafans are on the hunt for everyone on the down, and anything could happen to anyone else, whether it happened or not.

Hazel sighed, his eyes shut for a brief second as he contemplated what the young buck told him. "Alright, you made your point," he relented. "You can come with us."

A small group left the warren to locate the roundabout, this time Pipkin joined them. Lily decided to go with them, but she told Aubretia that both she and Bigwig will discuss her behavior when they get back. As for Basil and Sandwort, their parents were furious at their attitudes and decided to discuss their punishment upon their return.

"And all that kicking and snoring, you did _that_ on purpose?" Bigwig asked.

"Don't know what you mean, Father," chucked Pipkin. "_I_ slept like a baby."

* * *

The rescue party arrived at the roundabout, where they met up with Marigold and the others. They stared at Dandelion and Hickory across the street in horror of their dilemma. Poor Hickory remained scared out of his wits as a white van drove by, and Dandelion was trying his best to calm him down.

"We're here to save you!" Hannah called out to the rabbits in distress whilst on Kehaar's back.

"Nasty spot," said Hazel. "I'll see if I can convince Hickory to bolt for it."

"Be careful," warned Lily.

Bravely, Hazel leapt forward and crossed the road. A motorcyclist zoomed past behind him, barely striking him from the tail. The Chief Rabbit reached the roundabout safely.

"Hickory, listen to me," he instructed. "We'll all make a run for it together, alright?"

"He's too scared, Hazel. And we've got to move soon," warned Dandelion. "Those hrududu give off a bad smoke... hard to breathe..." No sooner had he spoken, another car shot past them and the smog left its exhaust emissions, causing Dandelion to cough.

Everyone had to think hard and quick if they are going to save their friends, but it seemed like there is nothing anybody can do. Up in the air, Hannah noticed a small bunch of geese swimming casually in the pond, which she found unusual. The geese belonged to a farm a bit far off from the roundabout and on the other side of the road.

"Hmm, how did the geese get to the pond, then?" the mouse wondered.

"They fly, Hanya!" Kehaar responded, as if stating the obvious.

"Farm geese don't fly." Hannah shook her head, then called out to the rabbits below, "Ask geese how they cross the road."

Pipkin decided to take that chance, hence he was terrific at making friends with other creatures, bounding off to the pond and spoke politely to the geese, "Hello, I was wondering how you cross the road."

"Well, we walk," answered one of the geese in a posh manner.

"And hrududus don't bother you?"

"We all walk, they all stop. Simple as that."

"Would you stop them for us?" Pipkin asked, hopefully. "We're trying to help a friend."

But the geese refused quite rudely and waddled away back to the farm. Shrugging his shoulders, the ever polite Pipkin thanked the geese for their advice and returned to the rescue party.

"They won't help, but I have an idea," reported the little buck.

"Let's hear it," said Bigwig, impatiently.

"Well, the geese say the hrududus stop for them when they _all_ go. What if _we_ all go at the same time?"

"And get squashed all at the same time?" Hawkbit replied, incredulous. "Oh, lovely idea, Pipkin. Lovely, humph!"

Remembering Dandelion's story of El-ahrairah's dare, Marigold boldly volunteered to take such a risk. "'Who dares wins.' That was El-ahrairah's lesson, wasn't it, Hawkbit?"

Hawkbit looked away, embarrassed.

After some much-needed convincing for everyone else, they realized what Dandelion's story and El-ahrairah's lesson meant. "Who dares wins". That is what El-ahrairah had done to save his people and took a chance to win Frith's dare. With courage in their hearts, the rabbits began hopping across the road.

Hazel, Dandelion and Hickory noticed what their friends are doing, causing them to panic and call out to them, trying to stop them from risking their lives. The rescue party ignored their protests, continuing to move forward.

"What are they doing?" worried Dandelion.

Suddenly a yellow car rounded a corner, beeping.

"I can't watch!" Hazel shut his eyes tight, refusing to witness what could be his friends' deaths.

The driver of the vehicle put on the brakes and the car slowed down as the tires screeched. The rabbits shut their eyes, or shielded their loved ones from harm. The car stopped, much to everyone's relief.

Without a moment to lose, Bigwig bellowed, "Get him off there, now!"

The two rabbits shoved Hickory off the edge of the roundabout and joined the rescue party to make the crossing. Reaching the safety of the other side, the rabbits panted a sigh of relief whilst the car left in a rush.

"That was a good idea," Bigwig commended, praising his adopted son. "Lucky you came along, Pipkin."

"We faced down a hrududu!" Marigold cheered, victoriously.

"Good for us." A slightly shaken Fiver did not enjoy this little adventure at all.

"Let's never ever do that _again_," Lily reminded.

* * *

Returning to Redstone warren, everyone had met up with a concerned Strawberry and Clover, both whom had come to check up on their loved ones to make sure everyone is safe and sound. Aubretia, Basil and Sandwort had to be brought along because Hazel and Bigwig had some very strict words for them; loosestrife is to be shared amongst all rabbits, no rabbit is to bully to make themselves dominant, Basil and Sandwort were grounded for a week with no flayrah, and Aubretia was let off with a harsh warning. Aubretia was glad and relieved to be off the hook, but Basil and Sandwort could only groan in disappointment.

"I suppose we're not ready to live on our own yet," Hickory said.

"One step at a time," Bigwig advised. "We'll get you there. Meet us here next round moon and we'll get on with the lessons."

The two rabbits agreed, before Marigold said, "We better get back to Cowslip's warren. We have to tell the others what we learned so far."

"Be careful, and don't let Cowslip catch on," Hazel warned. "We want you as our neighbors."

"And we want you as our friends," Strawberry agreed, finally glad to have some friends she had never known about.

Everyone watched as Hickory and Marigold return to that despicable warren, silently praying that Cowslip won't be aware of their plans and no harm will come to their new allies.

"They risk everything for freedom and then worry they're not brave enough," Hazel exclaimed, with a hint of a smile on his face.

"Time and patience are all we need," Lily advised. "Everybody needs it." Then she glared sternly down at Basil and Sandwort as the entire gang lolloped back to the warren. "Which reminds me, you two will need plenty of patience to find something to do to keep yourselves amused throughout your punishment."

"Yes, ma'am," groaned the two little bucks.

Upon reaching their home warren, Bigwig turned to glance down at Aubretia as he spoke, "You know, sweetie, if you wanted to learn how to defend yourself, you could've asked me. I could have trained you." He smiled, surprisingly impressed at his daughter standing up to her brother and his partner in crime. "You've got a fighting spirit inside you."

"Thanks, Father." Aubretia flashed a proud grin.


	32. The Market p1

The last remaining days of summer were fast approaching, but the weather wasn't entirely hot. Just warm enough to make it feel hot and it made the perfect time of day for the Owsla and their Chief Rabbit to go on Wide Patrol. Hazel and Bigwig made a solemn promise for Hickory and Marigold to train them for another lesson of living in Redstone with their friends on their own. Keeping a sight out for Efrafan patrol or elil was Kehaar, although he began acting strange to some of the rabbits. Usually, he kept a stern eagle eye out to scan for enemies, but today he started behaving differently like he never paid attention to instructions nor did he seem enthusiastic about a wide patrol.

Down below, the Watership Wide Patrol traveled through an open field of long grass to find Hickory and Marigold. Although, Bigwig disapproved of the idea of hopping within the tall grass, concerned that elil could be hiding and waiting to jump out at them any second now.

"For all we know, there's an army of elil in this field," he worried. "We should have skirted the edge."

"If there's any trouble, Kehaar will give us plenty of warning," reassured Hazel.

However, the gull had been bored circling the area and began singing to himself to lighten the mood. Then, a flock of familiar birds flew past him. Recognizing them as gannets, Kehaar exclaimed, "Hey, where you going? To big water? I come from big water, too!" He turned to follow them. "Hey, wait for Kehaar!"

Unbeknownst to Kehaar, he carelessly abandoned his job where he should have spotted a hungry fox at the edge of the open field. The fox's nose whiffed, catching the scent of rabbits close by and dove into the long grass, her paw crushed a twig in the process.

The sound of a breaking twig captured Bigwig's attention. Pausing in his tracks, he sniffed the air. "There's something in the field with us," he warned.

"That's strange. Kehaar should have warned us." Hazel wondered why their bird friend didn't warn them.

"Unfortunately, he's gone," Hawkbit pointed out, not seeing Kehaar anywhere.

"You don't suppose an owl or a hawk got him?" Bluebell began to worry. "Or do you think he got lost?"

"I'm sure he's fine," Hazel assured him. "Keep your ears up and go quietly."

The Chief Rabbit had taken not more than a few steps when he froze. There stood the fox as she emerged from the tall grass, snarling and licking her chops.

"Scatter!" shouted Hazel.

Everyone did scatter, separating as they plunged in the long grass for cover. The fox kept her attention sorely focused on Hazel, who dodged and maneuvered to avoid the snaps of the fox's sharp teeth. He felt her hot breath at his throat, and the rabbit knew he had to pick up speed to escape the fate of ending up as the fox's lunch.

Fiver and Bluebell jumped out of the tall grass, panting heavily. They found a small bush filled with thorns. It provided a good shelter and hiding spot from the fox.

"I thought we'd never find out way out," Fiver said.

"You took the words right out of my mouth," said Hawkbit, who had joined up with Bigwig, discovering the thorny bush as shelter before Fiver and Bluebell found it.

"But, where's Hazel?"

"Last I saw the fox was after him," Hawkbit explained.

"It wouldn't have happened if that idiot gull was doing his job!" Bigwig furiously cursed the gull's absence for the cause of their nearly getting killed.

Some leaves rustled, setting the rabbits on edge when they first believed the fox had tracked their hiding spot. Luckily for them, Hazel appeared. The rabbits let out a sigh of relief.

"I gave her the slip," Hazel gasped, "but let's not give her another chance."

It was decided to head back to Watership Down, putting their schooling Hickory and Marigold off for another time later. Hazel reminded himself to ask Trill and Warble, Pipkin's two bird friends, to deliver the message to the rabbit couple. Returning to the high hills, the patrol was lucky the fox had given up and never bothered to tail them back to their warren.

Just then, Kehaar came back. However, it was probably not a good idea considering how ticked off the Wide Patrol is over his abandonment.

"Where'd you go?" asked the gull. "I look, but you not where you were."

Hawkbit paused, then gave the bird a scathing glare. "I'll tell you where we nearly were; inside a _Frithing_ fox! Where were YOU?!"

Shocked, Kehaar hovered in the air to avoid a possibly angry thrashing from the rabbits. How could he have failed to recognize the consequence of his recklessness? "I saw some gannets. Old friends from big water," he tried to explain himself.

"So, you thought you'd flounce off for a bit of a visit, did you?" Bigwig questioned, fumingly.

"Sorry," Kehaar apologized.

Hazel was clearly disappointed in him. Sure, he had a good reason for not showing up the first time at Efrafa to help the does escape, but this time, the gull's carelessness had made him unreliable in another dangerous situation. "We were counting on you," he scolded. "You let us down." And he left.

Kehaar felt the guilt sting him like a thousand bees. He apologized again, but it couldn't save him for letting down rabbits during their wide patrol. Disheartened, the gull thought it best to keep his distance away from everyone after Bluebell told the inhabitants of what occurred. Some of the rabbits felt the patrol behaved harshly on Kehaar, whilst others expressed their disappointment in the gull's irresponsibility.

Hannah felt a tremendous sympathy towards the gull and tried to help cheer him up by gathering him some worms for the bird to eat. The little mouse tugged and pulled at the first worm she recently caught, as her captive struggled to free itself.

"Kehaar, I got a big worm for you! Help!" she called.

Nobody came to her assistance, and she lost her grasp. The worm instantly slithered back under the earth's surface. Hannah scowled, but then she noticed a sulking Kehaar leaning back against a rock, depressed and uninterested. Concerned, she came over to him.

"Kehaar, what's the matter with you?" Hannah asked. "Why don't you want to eat? Are you sick of summer?"

Kehaar sighed, before he answered solemnly, "Sick, yes." He rubbed his wing over his chest. "My heart is sore."

Something is obviously wrong with him. Hannah knew she had to find some way or someone to help lift the gull's spirits. She lolloped back to circle of beech trees where the rabbits just silflayed, acting like Kehaar's feelings meant nothing to them. This angered Hannah, silently wishing she had pulled off either Bigwig's whiskers or Hawkbit's whiskers to teach them a lesson.

"Something's wrong with Kehaar," Hannah spoke to the first rabbits she came upon. "He's not himself, and you're just sitting here like neither of you don't care!"

"Maybe we were a bit harsh with him." Fiver listened, then recalled back to how his own brother bitterly ignored him at Cowslip's warren when he grew aware of the danger. "I remember what that felt like."

"Oh, serves him right," Hawkbit scorned. "Letting a fox sneak up on us, all because of a flock of stupid gannets."

"If you don't care, then why don't you shut up?!" Hannah chided, placing her hands on her hips in disgust.

"You could have behaved nicely about how you reacted," Lily agreed, coming over to defend Kehaar and scold Hawkbit for his rudeness.

"That's right!" Pipkin entered the scene. "I'm sure he didn't mean it. I'll see if I can cheer him up." He started hopping over to the spot where the discouraged Kehaar sat. Upon arriving at Kehaar's spot, Pipkin placed his paws on the rock as he smiled sympathetically at him. "Hannah says you're down in the dumps. Anything I can do?"

"Can you give me big water?" Kehaar stood up, brokenly. He wandered aimlessly as he lamented, "Smell of salt air? Taste of sea fish? Can you give me..." he spread his wings out in a dramatic pose, "Katerina?"

"Katerina is Kehaar's lady bird," Hannah explained to the silently confused young kitten.

"Ohhh." Pipkin moved his head upward when he got the message. "You miss Katerina and the big water?"

"Yes, I miss," the gull replied, sadly. "I miss, I miss, I miss. Miss it all."

"Then you must go to the big water," Pipkin advised, believing it sounded like a good idea to help cure Kehaar's homesickness.

"Yeaaahhh!" Suddenly, Kehaar's depression had vanished. Transformed to enthusiasm and excitement. Why didn't he think of that before? "I go!" He was about to make a takeoff, until he screeched to a halt. If he returned to the big water, then he'd forget about his friends on Watership Down. "BUT... But I not want to go away from friends... from Pipkin. It too sad."

Pondering over how to solve this little dilemma, Pipkin thought hard and then his eyes lit up when an idea occurred to him. "I've got a brilliant idea!" As he explained his plan to Kehaar from which no other rabbit ears can hear, the gull immediately leapt for joy and flapped his wings, overjoyed.

His cries alerted the other rabbits, all confused by the unpredictable mood swings of Kehaar. Only Lily smiled proudly at her adopted son's kindhearted soul for bringing a smile back on Kehaar's face.

"He stopped sulking," Hawkbit said, baffled.

When Pipkin bounded back to the beech trees, he made his announcement to everyone else, "Guess what, everybody? I'm going with Kehaar to the big water!"

"Oh, that's ni-" Lily's words stumbled, trying to register what the little buck had just told her. "Wait, what?"

"I beg your pardon?" Hazel pops up from behind another tree (with Clover in his arms, hence he'd been making out with her in private) fixing a bewildered stare at the young buck.

"He's homesick for the big water," Pipkin explained. "And if he leaves us, he'll be homesick for Watership Down, so I'm going with him." He shrugged, making it sound like a trip to the ocean wasn't big of a deal.

"You can't go on your own, Pipkin," Hazel stated, refusing to allow the little buck permission to leave.

"And from what I remember, it's very far away," Lily added, pointing out his inexperience in the wild. "And you wouldn't last five minutes on your own if left the high hills."

"Your mother's right, lad." Bigwig agreed with his mate. "If you tried going on your own, an elil would snatch up in a matter of seconds."

For a second, Pipkin was dejected. However, another idea occurred to him. "Well, what if everybody goes?" he suggested.

"We can't go to the big water just like that!" Bigwig would hear none of it, sharing his concerns with Lily over his childlike nature and inability to be on his own.

"Why not?" Fiver interrupted, now seemingly interested.

"Well, we've heard enough about it," Hawkbit agreed, his interest piqued. "I wouldn't mind seeing it."

"All in favor of going to the big water, saw aye!" Obviously, Dandelion volunteered to come along.

"Aye!" said Bluebell.

"Aye!" said Silver.

"Aye!" said Lily.

"Aye!" said Blackberry.

"Aye!" said Hannah.

"Well..." Seeing he was outvoted, Hazel decided to give a visit to the big water a chance, "it might be fun at that."

The only rabbit who refused to give his approval was Bigwig, who stood silently with his arms folded.

"Come on, Father," Pipkin pleaded, desperately. "For Kehaar."

"Please, darling." Lily battered her eyelashes at him in a flirtatious manner. "He won't be of much good around here until he gets it out of his system."

Trying to resist the temptation, Bigwig finally relented with much reluctance, "Fine. The big water it is."

Thrilled, Pipkin turned to the awaiting gull and reported, "We're all going with you, Kehaar."

Hearing this, Kehaar let out a squawk of exhilaration and starts flying around in circles above the beech trees.

"After all, how far can it be?" Hazel added.

Preparations had been made before the group began their little holiday. Holly was to be left in charge of the warren until Hazel's return. Bigwig left strict instructions that bucks should go on Wide Patrol to keep watch over elil and send Pipkin's bird friends to send a message if there was any trouble, he and the others will return as soon as possible. Hyzenthlay and the rest of the does are to take care of the kittens and keep them out of trouble. Clover said goodbye to Hazel, wishing him the best of luck on his adventure.

Afterward, the little band set off downhill for their journey to visit the big water. Kehaar lead the way by air and singing a joyful tune of his delightful return to the big water. Their traveling took them to Nuthanger farm, where Kehaar hovered over the stone fence.

"This way! Big water this way!" he directed. "We be there by next moon. Wait 'til you see. Waves and beach and... more waves!"

"By next moon?" Hawkbit stopped. "How far away is it?"

"Not far," Kehaar replied, taking a break to perch on the stone fence.

Hawkbit exchanged a concerned glance at Fiver, who seemed to share his thoughts over how far the big water really is, and then resumed hopping. Dandelion halted, his nose whiffing in the air.

"Smell that?" he asked.

Bigwig's nose twitched, and a huge grin spread across his lips. "Fresh flayrah!" The scent carried him to the secret passage embedded in the stone wall. He entered through the hole and discovered something that made his mouth water. "Come and see this," he beckoned.

Everyone crawled through the hole and found a truck parked just outside the farm house, where several wooden boxes filled with delicious vegetables had been stacked up and waiting to be taken to market. Some crates had been carelessly left open, exposing the scent of vegetables that drew in the hungry rabbits.

"Will you look at that?" Dandelion's tail wagged happily.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'd like a piece of those carrots!" Bluebell exclaimed.

"Seems a shame to let it go to waste," said Hazel.

"With a long trip ahead, a little snack might be just the thing," Hawkbit decided.

Then, an impatient Kehaar landed beside them. He looked very cross. "Sun don't sit still in sky, you know!" He folded his wings, frowning. "We do not _get_ there if we do not _go_ _there_! You see? Come along!"

"It's just a quick lunch break, Kehaar," Hannah tried to assure him.

"We're going to have a quick nibble," added Bigwig. "Keep an eye out. There's a good chap."

"And _then_ we go to big water?" asked Kehaar, still a bit impatient.

"Be in and out before you can say Bob-Stones!" replied Silver.

No sooner spoke, the silver colored buck and the entire gang rushed toward the truck, using a crate as a staircase to hop up into the back and instantly start devouring the flayrah left in unopened boxes.

"Hawkbit, you stay here and keep your eyes peeled," ordered Bigwig, who paused at the top of the crate.

Hawkbit did not like this at all. "Oh, fine! You stuff yourselves and I stand watch!"

"You'll get your turn," Hazel told him at the entrance before moving back in.

Pouting, Hawkbit sat in front of the crate, wishing he had eaten a piece of flayrah. "There better be some lettuce left."

Unfortunately, Hawkbit was never good at standing guard. Kehaar had made amends for it when he noticed those two horrid dogs, Duster and Bob, trotting around the corner, heading straight for the truck where the rabbits are in.

"Oh, good! We're gone from five steps from Watership Down and we've got trouble!" The gull warned Hawkbit just in time. "Look out, Hawkbit! It's dogs! Hide!"

Alarmed, Hawkbit dove for cover under the truck at first. But then, he realized how dangerously close the dogs came. He had to get out of there and quick. The truck was the perfect hiding spot for a rabbit. Bob caught the scent of unwanted intruders first, signaling Duster of his discovery and their teeth bared.

Hawkbit had just entered the truck when he bumped face first into Bigwig's rear end, angering the lion buck as he scolded, "I thought I told you to-"

"Hide!" Hawkbit warned everyone to take cover behind the boxes.

The two dogs peered their great heads inside the truck, still growling. They looked around, wondering where the intruders are hiding. They noticed a few eaten carrots on the floor and a strong scent of rabbits close by. Duster tried to get him, but he clumsily lost his balance and fell. Bob was no klutz. He used the crate to lift himself up on the truck and began creeping his way through, using stealth mode.

The rabbits held their breath, waiting for the huge dog to go away. Bob's giant shadow came closer and closer to one of their hiding spots in the right corner. Lily and Blackberry held each other, little Pipkin squished in the middle of their embrace (his smooshed face resembled a guppy fish) and Bluebell whimpering like a frightened child. The other helpless rabbits could do nothing but watch in horror as the monstrous Labrador unknowingly approached their friends.

A loud shriek of a whistle captured Bob's attention, including Duster. Their master is calling them. Bob refused to leave without catching the trespasser, but his master's shrill whistling told him he was needed right now. Duster left first, then a reluctant Bob climbed out of the truck. When the coast was clear, all of the rabbits sighed in great relief.

Strange webbed feet sounded at the roof of the truck, slightly scaring the rabbits again. Only this time, Kehaar's head stuck out from above and rather upside down.

"Run! Get away!" Kehaar shouted, except it was too late as one of the farmhands came out of nowhere. "Don't stay there! Hide!" The gull was forced to flee.

John picked up the box that was left on the ground and loaded it into the back of the truck. He pushed up the lid to keep the boxes from flying out and closed the curtains, leaving the rabbits locked and shut up inside the darkened truck.

"I think we've got ourselves into a bit of trouble here," Bigwig said to a distressed Hazel.

Cautiously approaching the curtains, Lily peeked out and saw Tom Cane pull up in his red car behind the truck. Winnifred and Lucy boarded the car, allowing Duster to ride in the back with the little girl. Lucy seemed to be very excited about something as she talked with her mother, who's smile equaled that of her daughter. Everyone must be going to the market, but what could be so important to make them happy?

Lily's ears cocked when she heard Hazel and Bigwig gasped when they could hear the two farmhands boarding up front. Bob got to sit on Billy's lap, whilst John took the wheel. He turned the key and started the engine, making it roar loudly.

The truck's movement's shook violently, forcing some of the rabbits, Hannah included, to fall or tumble backwards. The truck drove out of the farmyard and out on the dirt road, followed by the Cane family in their red car. Kehaar looked on as the two hrududil carried his friends out of the farm. He determined to fly after the vehicles and catch up to his friends.

"HAZEL, COME BACK!" shrieked Kehaar.


	33. The Market p2

The Cane family's truck and car entered the village and passed by a glistening water fountain where the statue of a naked child with angelic wings and holding a bow and arrow stood majestically on a large fish. The two vehicles pulled over to a stop inside a market, where Lucy and her mother climbed out of the car. Tom Cane and his loyal farmhands needed to unload their cargo to sell for customers, whilst Winnifred took the ecstatic Lucy to a nearby fair where the little girl planned to spend the entire day with her best friend, Jane Pocock, along with her parents.

Inside the truck, Bigwig's nose whiffed as he caught a familiar scent. "Man!" he gasped.

Fiver's nose twitched as well and his ears perked up when he heard strange animal sounds. "And other creatures... many other creatures."

"Can't say I much like this place," Hawkbit said, nervously.

"But you haven't even seen it yet," Pipkin told him, just as the sound of footsteps approached the vehicle, causing the rabbits to scatter back to their hiding spots.

Billy and John opened up the back of the truck, then started carrying two boxes to a stand close by. Tom Cane hauled out another box, unaware of the unwanted intruders behind some of the crates, and began carrying the third box to the stand. Bob and Duster came over, then turned their attention to the truck. The dogs were still keenly interested in what lurked within the shadows, but their master gave out a shrill whistle. It made the reluctant canines obey their master's command and trailed him.

When the coast was clear, Hawkbit stuck his head out and looked around. "Well, now I've seen it and I still don't like it."

"Whoa!" Pipkin awed at the sights before him.

To the rabbits' surprise, they found themselves in a small village and several humans at present, making Lily recognize her surroundings when it occurred to her of which part of the town the farmer has driven them in: the market. Fortunately, nobody paid attention to the stowaways inside the truck. The humans were browsing around the market to look at food, clothes, household items, animals and other stuff. However, there was something very different about the village today. Part of the town had been transformed into a funfair.

Lily's heart leapt with joy as those precious memories flooded her brain like a tidal wave. People mingled together playing multiple game booths, winning adorable or fantastic prizes, eating all types of delicious food, participating in contests such as eating pies or a potato sack race, riding the ferris wheel or the merry-go-round, buying colorful balloons and who knows what else could bring back such wonderful memories that she cherished forever.

"Are you okay, Lily?" Blackberry noticed her friend's strange grin and assumed something was wrong at first.

That little interruption of happy times forced Lily's mind to return to reality. "Uh, yes. I'm fine. It's just that I know this place."

Everyone whirled their heads in her direction, mildly started.

"You do?" Bluebell asked.

"Yes, this is the market," Lily explained. "Humans come here to buy food and things for themselves. Henry often brought me along whenever I need to go to the vet or to go shopping."

"What is a vet?" Fiver asked, puzzled.

"A human doctor who takes care of sick or injured animals."

Laughter burst out of Bigwig's mouth, finding the idea of humans healing sick or wounded animals to be quite ridiculous and unbelieving. "Since when do humans help animals?"

Lily scorned at her mate, angered by his rude remark. "You think it's funny?!"

The lion buck's amused chortle ended as he fiercely scowled at his mate.

"Let's be very careful," Hazel warned as he instantly put an end to what could have been an argument, whilst everyone else emerged from the shadows to gaze at their surroundings. "There's a lot we don't know about."

"Might be more accurate to say we don't know anything about it," added Fiver.

"I don't see Kehaar anywhere." Pipkin's eyes searched the sky above them to find their gull friend. "Do you think he'll go to the big water without us?"

"If he'd done that in the first place, we wouldn't be in this mess!" retorted Hawkbit, quite angrily.

"Hey, you voted to go on this little expedition!" Bigwig scolded, defensively.

"We better get away from this hrududu before those dogs come back." Hazel scanned the area for a place to hide until he found one. "Over there!"

He took the lead as the rabbits leapt out of the truck and made a dash for cover, whilst Bigwig commanded, "Right, everyone stick together!" The rabbits needed to stay close or else someone might wander off and get separated. Hannah had taken to riding Bigwig's back and clutched his mane for her to hold on.

Suddenly, a horse neighed and reared up his front legs when he almost stepped on Bluebell, terrifying the blue buck so much that his mind had gone tharn. Silver quickly caught hold of him by the scruff of his neck and yanked Bluebell out of harm's way, just as the horse's deadly hooves came close to stampeding him. With the frightened Bluebell beside him, Silver fled from the scene with Hawkbit and Dandelion close behind. The four bucks had taken cover beneath the Cane's truck and waited as the man calmed his horse down and ordered the beast to walk onward.

The rest of Hazel's group had taken shelter underneath a big green tent, standing on top of a smooth blue carpet to catch their breath where a few carpets were being displayed for customers. Luckily, the owner of the tent wasn't here.

"Where's Dandelion and Hawkbit?" questioned Fiver. "And where is Bluebell and Silver?"

"Blast those four idiots!" Bigwig shook his head in disgust. "Can't they do anything I tell them?"

Unknown to the rabbits, Kehaar had arrived in the village, except he had no idea where his long-eared friends could be. His sharp eyes scoured the market, but it proved very difficult to find them.

* * *

Back at the truck, Dandelion whined dejectedly, "I've lost sight of them!"

"Why did you have to go tharn in front of a horse?" Silver angrily chided directly at Bluebell, who looked ashamed.

"I-I'm sorry," he apologized, meekly. "I never meant to-"

Hawkbit cut in, trying to maintain control of the situation. "Alright, calm down! Let's not panic."

"Oh, fair enough." Dandelion scoffed. "What should we do?"

"Owsla rules; if you separate from your patrol, go to ground and wait till they come for you."

Just then, a bright red balloon floated out of nowhere and lingered in front of the puzzled rabbits. Silver approached it, caution mixed with curiosity, and stretched his head forward to sniff at this strange object. The balloon drifted to the ground, and suddenly it exploded in a loud pop. To the four rabbits, that deafening pop reminded them of Man's gun and it sent a wave of panic through their skulls as the bucks scurried for safety. They took shelter underneath a green and yellow striped cloth attached to a booth, all four of them panting heavily.

"I never touched it, I swear!" Silver massaged his ears, trying to rub out that fearful pop that still hurt his head.

"Well, that's torn it," Hawkbit sighed. "Hazel's never gonna find us now."

"I have this horrible vision of spending the rest of our lives lost in this place bolting at every turn!" Dandelion worried, his ears drooping. Then, his nose sniffed the air when he thought he smelled elil. An eerie growl made a shiver travel down his spine as the blonde buck gradually turned his head around. "Uhh, guys? Time to bolt again."

"What are you talking abo-" Bluebell's sentence trailed off when he came face-to-face with a pair of vicious snarling ferrets, though locked in a cage but still eager for a meal. "HOLY FRITH AND INLE!" he shrieked, as he and the bucks bolted out of the booth at top speed to escape the hungry ferrets.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hazel's group had returned to the truck where the scent of Hawkbit's group used to be, but it's occupants nowhere to be found. They almost frozen when humans came close, but luckily the humans walked past them and never took any notice of their presence, too preoccupied in their daily lives.

"They were here," Bigwig grumbled, irately. "Owsla rules; go to ground and wait. I drum that into their heads and what do they do?"

"It's not their fault!" Blackberry replied, defending their lost allies. "They're lost in the market, and who knows what could happen to them."

While Pipkin silently pondered over their dilemma, he saw bubbles come floating by from around the corner. The rays of the sun shimmered within the bubbles, creating miniature rainbows on the surface. His discovery filled the young kitten with joy as he cheered, "Look! Bubbles of rainbow!" A bubble popped when it touched Pipkin's nose, making Lily giggle when she found it adorable. "It's a message from Prince Rainbow! It has to be." He rushed forward in attempt to playfully grab the bubbles. "Don't you see? If we find where they came from, we'll find Hawkbit and the others."

After thinking it over, the rabbits began to understand the young kitten may be on to something.

"I do believe he's right," Fiver agreed.

"Then what are we waiting for, let's go!" Hannah exclaimed, as the rabbits took off in the direction where the drifting bubbles came from.

No sooner had the rabbits left, Kehaar landed at the very spot where his friends once stood. He complained for a while until he took to the skies again.

* * *

Around that time, Hawkbit's group remained hidden underneath another booth watching the humans stroll past them. Neither of them wanted to move an inch should they encounter another horse or more ferrets.

"One place is as bad as the next," Hawkbit trembled.

"What do we do now?" Silver asked, looking anxious.

Dandelion's head cocked to the side, listening to strange lively music in the distance. Then his eyes lit up when a river of bubbles floated by. Studying the tiny rainbows gleaming on their surfaces, the blonde buck felt a rush of relief sweep over him. "Look, it's a sign from Prince Rainbow!" he cried, happily. "He knows we're in trouble."

"Do you think...?" Bluebell peered his head out from the sheet, hopefully.

"No, I believe! C'mon!" This time, Dandelion took charge as he escorted his friends out from under the booth and followed the bubbles in the path where they came from.

* * *

Hazel's group had followed the bubbles all the way to the fair grounds, hiding underneath a wooden bench, and stared in bewilderment at where the source of Prince Rainbow's bubbles had come from; an orange mechanized bear blowing bubbles, with gentle music playing.

"Prince Rainbow works in strange ways," Fiver commented.

"Actually..." Lily was about to explain the bubble machine is not a device made by Prince Rainbow to guide them back to their friends, only for Hannah to shake her head disapprovingly at the doe, signaling her not to ruin the rabbits' faith and belief in Prince Rainbow.

"What a queer creature." Blackberry's paw tapped at the mechanized bear, trying to figure out what it is and why it creates bubbles.

"We're lost in a strange place," Bigwig agrees. "I suppose it makes some sort of sense."

"It makes perfect sense." Pipkin remained as optimistic as ever, and his prayers had been answered when he sighted some familiar faces trailing after the bubbles. "There they are! Guys, over here!"

Pipkin's voice got their attention as Hawkbit, Dandelion, Silver and Bluebell found their companions and joined them under the bench.

"You lot are a sight for sore eyes." Hawkbit was relieved to see his friends again.

"We thought we'd lost you forever." Even Bigwig didn't have the heart to lecture the four bucks for disappearing on them.

"Prince Rainbow was watching over us." Dandelion shared that same heartfelt belief like Pipkin did, that Lily decided not to ruin it when she wanted to explain the reality of bubble machines.

"Right, we're all together. Now let's plan a way out of this nightmare." No sooner did Hazel make this decision, an elderly human gentleman with a cane sat down on the bench.

"Let's get someplace safer first." Bigwig needed to find a way out, as the bench was no longer safe if another human came to sit down beside the old man and discovered their hideaway, when he discovered a tent where the man was selling flowers in pots. "There!" he gestured.

"As close to a burrow as I've seen around here. Come on." Hazel lead the way, as everyone hopped forward and headed for one of the huge flower crates for shelter.

"But that's not anywhere close to a burrow!" Lily protested, but Blackberry gently shoved her to go on.

Underneath the crate, the rabbits were nearly crammed in, but it seemed like a suitable hiding spot for them to discuss their way of escaping the market. Lily found herself squeezed in-between Blackberry and Pipkin, finding it hard to move around.

"Right, we can't stay here and we can't find a way out," said Hazel.

"That's a cheery summing up," complained Hawkbit, sarcastically.

"So what do we do?" Bigwig asked, frowning. "Hope Prince Rainbow steps in again?"

"Hold on!" Blackberry interrupted, after carefully thinking the matter over silently. "A hrududu brought us here, so maybe one can take us away."

"That's an excellent idea, Blackberry." Hazel praised at the doe's smarts.

"I know what Captain Broom would say to that..." Dandelion chuckled, then his voice began an imitation of the elderly captain, "Daring strategy, my boy!"

"Me, I'd just say it's mad." Hawkbit sounded rather annoyed by the idea.

"And in the Owsla, we have a saying; Who dares wins?" Silver reminded, up and ready for anything.

"Then it's settled." Hazel made his decision. "We find an open hrududu and trust in Frith."

Suddenly, the sound of an engine roaring and chugging captured their attention as Hawkbit said, "Now, what?"

A pallet-jack approached them, using its strong arms to lift the crate the rabbits were hiding under and it carried the crate away, leaving the group exposed out in the open. The florist had just turned to see one of his crates being moved when he discovered the trespassers. Angered, he began throwing empty plant pots at them.

"I've had enough of this place!" A scared Dandelion dodged the pots when they broke on impact they hit the ground.

"Hop it!" Bigwig shouted.

"Follow me!" Lily gestured to the open entrance of the funfair, leading the rabbits away from the enraged florist.

The group squeezed under the gates and dashed across the fair grounds, searching for shelter and safety. They didn't like being out in the open. People strolled by, with not the slightest idea of what creatures rushed past their feet. While dodging a ring toss area, two colored rings landed on Dandelion's ears, but when he resumed running, the rings fell off, although the rabbits' presence startled a few families playing the game and alerted the barker, whom attempted to capture the intruders, instead tripping over his feet and fell over.

After escaping the barker, the rabbits found themselves concealed within a small hut of a puppet stand. They stared at these strange hand-gloved puppets with confusion and fear, believing that because their faces resemble Man, they could wake up and attack them at any second now.

"This might not be the best place to hide." Dandelion shuddered, nervously.

"It definitely isn't." Fiver agreed.

"In case you are wondering, these are puppets," Lily explained, calmly. Her words made the rabbits stare at her, baffled. "Humans use puppets to control them by hand. They call themselves puppeteers. Sometimes the humans do it for amusement." Seeing how more confused they are, she tried to explain it with a different approach. "Think of Woundwort as a puppeteer. He controlled his Owsla through abuse and oppressiveness."

Pipkin was the first to understand what his adopted mother was teaching them. "Oh! I see what you mean now."

Bigwig peered through an opening in the curtain, hoping to find a way of escape, but more humans came and go. "We're stuck."

"In here!" Hazel directed the group to take cover within the wheel barrow of odd puppets.

The man finished the little puppet show as the children applauded and cheered. He tossed his two puppets onto the cart, forcing the rabbits to duck down. He carried the wheel barrow outside and passed a nearby petting zoo where children were softly stroking the fur of adorable little animals like ducklings, chicks, lambs, piglets, baby goats, guinea pigs and baby bunnies.

"What in Frith's name are they doing?" wondered Blackberry, as she gazed at a little boy and his sister cuddling a little bunny, who seemed to be milking in all the affection.

"It's called a petting zoo," said Lily. "Humans often bring their children here to pet or feed animals with great care."

To Hawkbit, the idea of a human touching sounded quite ridiculous. "I certainly would never want a human putting his hands on me!"

"Me neither!" Bigwig snorted in agreement, and so did the other rabbits, much to Lily's chagrin.

Hazel's head poked out of the puppet material when he recognized the sounds of cows mooing and horses neighing. They were no longer in the petting zoo, now finding themselves in a County Farm and Show, where farm animals had been given ribbons, medals or trophies for winning the best in the contest. "We're in a farm," he guessed.

"We know a lot about farms." Bigwig smiled. "Come on, you lot."

"This isn't a farm!" Lily protested, but it fell on deaf ears as the rabbits leapt out and she had to join them.

The rabbits took shelter behind a wooden stall, where it belonged to a very round and obese female pig with pink skin and bright blue eyes. She had spotted the rabbits hiding in the puppeteer's cart and watched them with great interest. Surprisingly, the pig wasn't threatened nor bothered by their visit, being very lonely herself despite being known as a winner of five first place ribbons.

"Lost, are you?" asked the pig.

"Yes, we are." Pipkin answered. "How did you know?"

"Wild rabbits on the loose in the market, you're quite different from the hutch rabbits in the petting zoo. And a small mouse on one of your backs. Logical, really."

"We're sorry to intrude on you," Lily apologized, politely. "But we're in a dreadful fix uhhh…"

"Call me Hyacinth," the pig introduced herself kindly. "I might be a prize winner, but I don't stand on ceremony."

"Miss Hyacinth," Hazel began explaining their dilemma, "we've been out looking for a hrududu to take us out of here, but... well it's a confusing place."

Fiver elbowed his brother in the arm, reminding him of the pig's unfamiliarity of the Lapine tongue. "Hazel, she doesn't know what a hrududu is."

His words received a snort from Hyacinth, obviously she was truly familiar with the rabbit language. "Oh, don't I? Well, that's rabbit language for a van, a truck, and a car. And I've been in all of them, and boats and planes."

"Well, Kehaar's told us about boats, but what's a plane?" Dandelion asked, puzzled.

The answer to his question came when a gigantic airplane thundered over their heads as it soared majestically in the sky above. Alarmed, the rabbits got down on all four legs and lowered themselves to the ground. Only Lily stood calmly as she gazed at the plane with amazement.

"Frith in a pond!" Bigwig gasped, unable to believe what he was seeing. "A hrududu with wings!"

"And it sounds like thunder." Bluebell shivered, placing his paws over his ears.

"It's alright, everyone." Lily soothingly assured her friends, shaking her head at their naivety. "It's just flying to a faraway destination."

Hyacinth shrugged like it wasn't that big of a deal. "That's a plane, and it flies. It carries humans to places around the world. Oh, yes. The highest pig gets around, I'll tell you." Her kindhearted smile transformed into a frown of dejection. "Though I never get to go where I like."

"We're on our way to the big water," Pipkin told her, smiling. "Our friend, Kehaar, lives there."

"Must be wonderful to go where you want. I always wanted to wander in the high hills myself."

"Then why don't you?" asked Hazel.

"Because... well..." Hyacinth was lost in her words. "I'm sure I don't know."

"Maybe you can try to escape," added Hannah.

"You mean just go like now?"

"Well, why not? You big enough to bash through this fence." Hawkbit suggested.

Truthfully, Hyacinth had never thought about it before. She had always known she'd grown bigger as she grew up. Whatever food the farmer fed her only made her fatter and large enough to destroy anything in her path. "I suppose... I suppose I could." She made her decision. This was her chance. "I suppose I will!"

Eager to get out of the human village as soon as possible, Bigwig hopped in front of the pig to speak as politely as he could, "Uh, before you do, ma'am, do you suppose you could direct us to a hrududu? We really do want to get out of here."

"Of course, I might even sniff out the smell of the sea on one of them." Hyacinth was glad enough to lend her assistance. "You do want to go to the big water?"

"That was the plan, but right now anywhere will do," Hawkbit said. "Is your nose really that good?"

"A pig's nose is a wonder to behold. Now, stand back." With a determined frown, Hyacinth charged forward and used her enormous body weight to bust through the fence, destroying the gate in the process.

With the pig as their guide, the rabbits trailed after her as everyone raced in and out within the fair, startling the panicked humans when they realized a runaway pig was loose in the fair. This time, the rabbits were no longer terrified of being on their own as long as their new friend stayed close to them. However, Hyacinth accidently knocked the Cane's crates along the way, alerted the two dogs nearby as they growled furiously upon recognizing the trespassing wild rabbits.

A familiar squawk caught their attention as Kehaar landed in front of the rabbits, all surprised to see him after all of their crazy adventures in the fair, they were truly glad to see him again. Unfortunately, Hyacinth had bounded off beyond the fairgrounds and the rabbits failed to notice this separation.

"Kehaar, you found us!" Pipkin cheered, happily.

"Where have you been, you crazy bird?" Hannah demanded, placing her small paws on her hips and frowned.

"Well, you make enough racket with pigs, a prickly mole could find you!" Kehaar scolded, irately. "Can we go to the big water now?"

"Hyacinth was going to show us a hrududu that will take us there," Hazel explained.

Kehaar scoffed in slight haughty disbelief that a pig could help them find a vehicle that can take them to the big water. "What do pigs know?"

"Well THAT one apparently knows a lot!" Silver defended, whilst the rest of the group nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, Bigwig's ears cocked up and his head whirled around to see Duster and Bob appear out of nowhere. "Look out!" he cried.

The dogs' presence caused Kehaar to fly off and the rabbits to scatter for cover, only to get trapped in one of the mini game arenas. They looked around, hoping to find another path of escape. But there was no possible way of outrunning those two beasts. The dogs had them cornered, helplessly.

"All those times we outfoxed these dogs at Nuthanger Farm," Hawkbit trembled, as he recalled all of those past times of outwitting Bob and Duster during their raid on the farm. "Now look at us."

"You'd think that wretched gull would lend a wing," Bigwig grumbled, searching the sky for Kehaar and his emergency assistance.

"He's the one that got us into this mess in the first place!" Dandelion agreed, laying the blame on the gull.

Lily scorned at the bucks, fed up with them making a scapegoat out of Kehaar for all their troubles. "Ugh! Need I remind you all that _you_ decided to go see the big water in the first place! I'll cuff the next buck who speaks ill of Kehaar again!" Her disciplinary words didn't work much to make the irked bucks feel ashamed, but it deeply affected Bluebell, Hazel, Fiver, Pipkin and Blackberry.

The dogs moved closer and closer, at last finally earning the kill they had been denied for a long time.

"I'd just like to say it's been a joy knowing you all of you... especially being your brother, Hazel." As Fiver spoke like this would be the last time he lived, everyone grew touched by his parting words as they prepared to accept their fate, although Bigwig was the only one standing his ground.

"Same to you, little brother." Hazel gave his little brother a genuine smile. His thoughts briefly drifted to his loved ones back home. _And I hope to Frith that Clover, my children, and all our friends on the down will remain forever safe._

A miraculous rescue arrived just in the nick of time. Kehaar releasing a heroic squawk as he came soaring through the air, leading an angry Hyacinth to come charging into view. She bravely tackled Duster, knocking him to the ground and slightly injuring him. The pig snorted furiously like an enraged bull seeing red. Scared, Duster whimpered and started to retreat, leaving the scene. The pig's strength and brutality was too much for him.

The ever ferocious Bob stood his ground, baring his teeth as he lunged at the pig and sank his jaws into her back. Hyacinth let out a painful squeal when she felt a hot, stinging pain enter her back. She tried to shake him off, but the dog buried his teeth further into her flesh and his claws began scratching against her pink skin, tearing at her flesh where the blood began to spill. Hyacinth reached forward to bite one of the dog's back legs, trying to force him to let release her to no avail.

With an enraged squawk, Kehaar swooped down and struck his sharp beak in the dog's forehead with incredible force. The gull's fierce attack took the dog by surprise that he released his hold on the pig's body, stumbling backwards and landed on four legs. Kehaar circled back and dive bombed the dog in the face, pecking at his face and scratching his claws from his webbed feet at the Labrador's snout. Bob cried out in agony as he felt his fur tugged at and his face pierced by the bird's sharp beak. At last, he retreated back to the truck where Duster returned.

"I don't know why Man keeps dogs around," Hyacinth panted, tired from the confrontation. "Pigs are ever so much smarter."

The rabbits approached the courageous pig and gull. For a moment, they grew stunned by the unexpected cavalry whom threw great savagery at the dogs to chase them away, deeply grateful for their rescue.

"That was a near thing," Hazel said with gratitude. "Thank you, Hyacinth."

"You should thank the gull," Hyacinth replied. "I was practically gone until I realized you were out of my sight."

Even Bigwig had to admit he was wrong to doubt the gull's loyalty. "You're a fine friend in a sticky situation, Kehaar."

Seeing the blood trickle down the pig's back, Lily gasped in mortified shock. "Hyacinth, you're wounded!"

The pig didn't seem too worried about her injuries as she waved off the doe's concern. "No worries, lass. It's just a scratch. Right, we still have to find you a ride out of here." The pig lead the group out of the fairgrounds and out of the market, taking them to a small parking lot beyond the town square where plenty of cars and buses stood, getting a whiff of the first smell from an orange bus that she examined, trying to figure out which vehicle of transportation will take the rabbits, the gull and the mouse to the big water.

"No, this one is from horse country," she said. "Up north."

"I don't believe it." Bigwig doubted, astonished that a pig correctly deduced the scent of a vehicle's whereabouts.

"I've been everywhere," Hyacinth explained, walking further up ahead a bit as Fiver tagged along. "Dropped off from one fair to the next. Every place has it's own particular smell."

"And you remember them all?" Fiver asked.

Hyacinth took a good whiff at Fiver's small body, then said, "You are from the high hills, along the path of the setting sun." She sniffed at him again. "You've recently been at a farm..."

"Amazing!" Hazel praised.

"You ate some lettuce and a beetroot."

"That's right!" Fiver smiled, impressed at her abilities.

"So let's have no more doubts about my nose, shall we?" Hyacinth stole a brief scowl at Bigwig for his doubting her high sense of smell, as the lion buck felt embarrassed and Hazel couldn't help snickering with Lily. The pig came to a red bus and sniffed it, her eyes widened at the smell she recognized all too well. "Sand... seaweed... salt water, ooh! Here we are. A bus from the seaside. On, you get."

"So, I see you at the big water, then?" Kehaar asked, hopefully.

Hazel chuckled, as he smiled with reassurance. "That's where we said we were going, Kehaar, so that's where we'll go."

"You also said how far can it be?" Hawkbit pointed it, after cautiously sniffing at the luggage trunk opening.

"It's as far as it is," Bigwig said, gruffly. "Get on!"

One by one, the rabbits started to climb aboard the bus's bottom luggage trunk. The last to board were Lily, Hazel and Fiver, wishing to say their goodbyes and thanks to Hyacinth for her kindness and assistance.

"We would have been in a sticky situation without you, Hyacinth," Hazel said, gratefully. "Thank you."

"And I'd still be in my pen, waiting to get carted off to the next fair without you," Hyacinth replied, just as grateful to the rabbits for giving her the freedom she deserved.

"You'll like the high hills, Hyacinth," Fiver said. "We do."

"I hope to see you again someday," Lily added, hopefully. "It's been a long time since I've talked to pigs."

This made Hyacinth's eyebrows raise up. "You know any other pigs?"

"I used to live on a farm with humans as a pet, until my farm was burned down and the humans perished. I don't know what happened to the farm animals."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, dearie." As Hyacinth expressed her condolences to the doe, her ears cocked when she heard a man's voice shouting at Tom Cane, accusing him of allowing his dogs to attack his prized pig and demanding her whereabouts. "I'd best be off before Man finds me. Good luck, rabbits! I hope we meet again."

After wishing the rabbits the best of luck, the pig bounded off on her way to the countryside. Kehaar flew off, just as the bus driver picked up some leftover luggage and loaded them inside the trunk, causing the rabbits to avoid being squished by the large amounts of baggage. The driver closed the trunk door shut and locked it.

"The big water better be worth it," Hawkbit hoped, "if we ever get there."

"We'll get there, Hawkbit. After all, how far can it be?" Hazel assured him, though in the back of his mind, he wondered just as far is the big water.

The driver started up the engine, the bus began to move as it left the village parking lot and the village itself, and the rabbits knew at once they were finally on their way to the big water at last. Who knows what will happen when they reach their destination. Kehaar had to stay close to the bus as the vehicle drove onward down a road across the county.

At the same time, Hyacinth was making the most of it as she lavished in the spectacular view of the high hills before her, breathing in that fresh air. "I'll never go back to a pen again, no," she sang joyously, "it's the lonely high hills for me."


	34. The Great Water

It had been two and a half hours ever since the bus had left the village and the ride felt quite longer than the rabbits have realized. The movements of the vehicle made them bump and jostle about, trapped within the small and enclosed luggage trunk.

"How much longer do we have to put up with this?" asked Bigwig, growing impatient.

"Not much longer now," assured Blackberry.

"I wonder if we'll ever reach the big water," Hawkbit scoffed in disbelief.

"One thing I'll bet is that El-ahrairah and Rabscuttle never had an adventure quite like this," Dandelion added.

The red bus made a sharp turn, causing some of the members of their group to collide into one another. Bluebell found himself in Blackberry's arms, much to her dismay as he gazed at her with a lovesick smile. The doe had to push him off her, very roughly, so he gets the message that she will never show romantic interest in him.

"Strange to think we only left Watership Down this morning..." Fiver said, "we found ourselves in a human warren, now it's anyone's guess I suppose."

"I'm sure Kehaar knows," Pipkin hoped. "He did say he'd meet us when we got there."

"I hope so, Pipkin," Hazel agreed, trying to sound positive. "I hope so."

Silver cupped his paws over his mouth, making strange groans. His furry white face turned slightly green as he felt the dizziness take over. "I'm gonna be sick," he mumbled.

Kehaar did his best to keep up with the bus, but he often stopped to rest on a wooden fence to catch his breath. The bus was too fast for him, but he refused to give up.

At last, the bus pulled over to a rest stop, allowing the engine to shut down. The door swung open and the passengers began to get off, while more of them started to board their ride. Many people exited the bus, dressed in swimwear, sunglasses and hats, and carrying umbrellas, picnic baskets, sunscreen, coolers and beach toys, all ready for some fun in the sun. The driver opened the trunk door, reaching in to take out and hand over several luggage to some passengers.

"Now's our chance," Hazel gasped.

"Right! This time, _nobody_ gets lost." Bigwig made doubly sure that every rabbit leapt out of the trunk and hide themselves in some bushes nearby.

After the last of the passengers got off and more left, the driver closed the trunk and boarded the bus. He started up the engine and the bus drove away.

"_Now_ what?" Hawkbit asked.

Hazel glanced at his surroundings, his ears cocked and his nose twitched, trying to study the area and the scent around him as he wondered if his little band did reach their destination. "It's certainly not like anything _I've_ ever known."

"I agree with you on that." Silver's nose twitched, his eyes squinting at this strange salty smell. "Where in Frith are we?"

"I think... I think we're there." Pipkin was found standing over the edge of a cliff, staring at the view before him in astonishment.

Lily's eyes widened at the magnificent view of the great ocean, taking in every detail and sound before her. Returning to the ocean brought back memories for her: Henry building a sandcastle with his kiddie tools as a very curious Lily (whom at the time was a little kit) watched him do this, then she tried to dig a hole when she attempted to build one herself, except the oncoming waves ruined her hole. The first time she met a crab when it pinched her tail after the little rabbit got too close to his shell made her chuckle. Eating lunch with his parents, Henry made sure neither of them noticed their son sneaking a few pieces of bread from his sandwich for Lily to eat, despite drinking out of a bowl of water and munching on chopped slices of carrots.

Back to the present, the rabbits, including Hannah, became instantly spellbound by their first sight of the ocean. It was like nothing they had ever seen before in their lives. The waves crashed against the shore and the tall white cliffs, then withdrew. Multiple seagulls flew everywhere, squawking or catching fish to eat. The open ocean seemed to expand further beyond the earth to who knows where in the world, and the coast itself expanded in both sides to an incredible long distance.

"By Frith!" Bigwig gasped in surprise, as the wind blew in his face and in his long mane. "We made it."

"So, _this_ is the great water," Fiver awed.

"It's beautiful!" Blackberry admired.

"Wow! It's like looking at a postcard photo," Hannah recalled. "Only _this_ is way better."

Lily's eyes closed as she inhaled the scent of the atmosphere deeply, a sigh of relaxed content escaped from her lips. "It's been so long since I've visited this place," she whispered.

"So, you've seen the big water _before_?" Bigwig asked.

"Yes… I used to come here with Henry and his family every summer… and it's just as I remember: the salty air… the sound of gulls and gannets… the shores lightly glistening like stars… So many memories made here." Her expression of fondness soon turned to a gentle sadness that Bigwig noticed. "But… that was a long time ago now…"

Bigwig responded with a light nuzzle of her cheek. "Sorry, love… but look at it this way: this is now the first time you've been here with _us_, eh? New memories to make here," he remarked, attempting to cheer her up, which worked in putting a smile on her muzzle.

"Well… now that we're here, we look for Kehaar," Hazel announced, decidedly. "Although, with Lily's keen knowledge of the big water, it can help us."

Dandelion stared at his leader with a questionable frown. "Down there?" he asked, looking down below the cliffs.

"He might find us better up here, out in the open," Hawkbit suggested.

However, Bigwig noticed a huge eagle swooping down and attacking a flock of seagulls, managing to capture one with its sharp talons and impaling his razor-like beak in the gull's neck, killing it instantly. He figured if they stayed on the cliffs, one of them might be the eagle's next meal and he silently prayed neither Lily nor Pipkin become prey for an eagle. "Easy prey for elil." He shook his head. "No, we got to get moving."

It was decided the rabbits needed to travel down a narrow rocky path to head for shore. Hazel took the lead, as always. Blackberry kept herself in the middle to keep an eye on the others. Bigwig remained in the back of the line to urge the cautious rabbits to move forward.

"This might be a way down," said Hazel.

"No sign of Kehaar and we've seen the big water." Hawkbit tried to chicken his way out. "I think it's time we head back to Watership Down now, don't you think?"

"Keep moving or I'll slap your ears off!" Bigwig threatened, forcing the dark grey buck to keep hopping.

"Well, that's an awfully long way down." Hawkbit shuddered nervously at how high they really are.

Moving a little further on down the path, a strong gust of wind blew in their faces. The rabbits had to stop as their eyes squinted. Nobody wanted to move with the wind blocking their senses. Bigwig took a hop forward. Suddenly, pebbles and small rocks fell from under his foot when he almost slipped on a loose edge. He looked down and saw the rocks fell to the bottom of the cliff.

"Are you alright, dear?" Lily asked, near to the point of a close freak out when she her mate almost fell off the ledge.

"I'm fine, darling." Though the slight tremble in his voice, Bigwig was shaken by the sudden slip.

As the rabbits continued down the rocky path, they halted upon entering a colony of puffins guarding their nests. They curiously stared at these strange black and white birds with orange beaks.

"What are those birds?" Hazel wondered.

"They don't look too much like a threat," Bigwig responded.

Fortunately, Lily recognized the odd appearances of these queer-looking birds. "Oh, I know what they are! They're puffins. Although I don't seem them often whenever I come here with the humans, I do see them whenever they go out searching for fish."

Hazel tried to approach the puffins without fear. "Perhaps I can try taking to one of them."

"Talk to them?!" Bigwig echoed, incredulously. "The last time you made a stupid mistake like that, it was with those embleer corvil!"

Ignoring him, Hazel hopped forward with trepidation. "Excuse me," he spoke to the first puffin he greeted. "We're just passing through."

The puffin made a fierce growling noise, unsure of what to make of these unwanted visitors. He sounded quite hostile and ready to fight to defend his nest.

"Not terrifically friendly," says Hawkbit.

"I warned you!" huffed Bigwig, his eyes burned with anger.

"Hazel, maybe these birds know Kehaar," suggested Fiver.

"Good idea. We'll ask them." Hazel gave it another shot at trying to communicate with the puffin. "Sorry, excuse me, but you wouldn't happen to know-" He got cut off when the puffin repeated that same hostile warning growl that gave him the wrong impression that the rabbits meant harm.

"Hey Pipkin, maybe you should try." Silver turned to the little buck, fully aware of the lad's experience of communicating perfectly with animals of different species. "You're better at talking to other creatures."

"Silver, no!" Bigwig warned, suddenly alarmed.

"It's alright, dear." Lily put a paw on her mate's chest to calm him. She understood what Silver was suggesting, and she knew how gifted Pipkin is at befriending other animals. "Go on, sweetie." But just in case of avoiding a repeat from that deadly incident with the crows, she added, "I'll be right here, just in case."

Confidently, Pipkin went up to the puffin and spoke politely, "Hello. Me, Pipkin. Ask you question?"

The puffin studied the young rabbit for a second, seeing the goodness in the little one's eyes and surprised by his friendly gesture. He made a different noise this time, it was a friendly noise for greeting as he introduced himself, "Culoci. I'm busy minding nest for mate while she hunt, you see."

This piece of information surprised Hawkbit. "Don't know any buck who'd be caught minding young'uns."

"Everybody's different, I suppose." Dandelion shrugged his shoulders, giggling. "Very, very different."

"We look for friend, Kehaar. You know him?" asked Pipkin.

Culoci thought for a moment, wondering if he knew of any bird called Kehaar, only for the puffin to shake his head in silent response. All of a sudden, a vicious flock of seagulls descended down on the puffin territory. Culoci screeched in alarm to alert the rest of the puffins, all bravely fighting back to defend themselves and their fledgling against those harassing gulls. Pipkin was almost attacked by a gull when Lily caught him by the scruff of his neck and carried him to safety close behind Bigwig.

"What's going on?" questioned Bigwig.

"Why are the gulls attacking those puffins?" Pipkin asked, confused.

"I don't know." Lily was just as baffled as her friends are. "I've never seen gulls fighting puffins before."

"There's a lot we don't know about this place," said Hazel.

"And about seagulls it seems," added Hannah. "I'm just glad Kehaar is nothing like those bullies."

No sooner had the gulls had been driven off, a part of the ground crumbled under Hawkbit, sending him tumbling over the edge. He screamed as he fell, alarming the terrorized rabbits.

"No! Hawkbit!" Dandelion shouted, running to the ledge and believing his closest friend had perished to his doom, except instant relief swept over him when he discovered Hawkbit on a ledge beneath them.

"Are you alright?!" Hazel called out to him.

"Nothing's broken if that's what you mean!" Hawkbit replied, though not seriously hurt, he felt irritated by everything that happened today. "I really don't like it here!"

Just then, some of the rabbits noticed a familiar black-headed gull flying high above the puffin nesting grounds. There was no other gull with a black head, so it had to be Kehaar.

"Kehaar! We're done here!" Pipkin shouted, trying to get his attention.

"Kehaar! Over here!" Hazel tried to call for him too, but the black headed gull either took no notice of him or probably didn't hear him.

"He's purposely ignoring us," stated Dandelion, irked.

"Maybe he can't hear us because of those waves being loud enough," reasoned Hannah.

"Kehaar!" Fiver tried his turn to get the gull's attention, but he had no luck either.

But the black headed gull had disappeared amongst a flock of gulls, causing an irritated Dandelion to rebut, "See? His seagull friends are more important than us!"

"Oh, shut up!" Hannah scolded, as she grew furious at the others doubting their friend's loyalty.

"Why are you calling that gull?" asked Culoci, baffled.

"Kehaar is a friend," Lily explained, then briefly shot a cold scowl at Dandelion. "Always has been."

But Culoci refused to believe that a seagull could be on friendly terms with other creatures. "Gulls are enemies. They raid puffin nests, steal food, cause trouble."

"Not all gulls are the same."

"Culoci know gulls, none of them are too good to puffins."

"But Kehaar is different!"

Hazel quickly put an end to what could be the start of an argument. "I believe we should respect their opinion, after all they've been through with the gulls."

"Oi! Can you please get me down from here?!" Hawkbit shouted, annoyed at how everyone forgot the situation he was in.

"You help us, please?" Pipkin asked, hopefully.

Despite the early disagreement about gulls, Culoci was still kind enough to assist the rabbits. "Of course. I show you best way down. This way."

"Thank you very much."

* * *

Meanwhile, Kehaar was soaring around his old flock's gathering place, desperately searching for his lady gull fair. Along the way, he recognized a few familiar faces, calling out to them.

"Conrad! Fernando!" The two gulls to whom he was calling only briefly looked at Kehaar, saying nothing before returning to their own business. This, of course, puzzled Kehaar, but it did not dampen his spirits as he saw another familiar face.

"Griffin! Hey, why is nobody saying 'Hello'?!" he called out to a gull sitting on his nest on a rock. The gull in question looked to Kehaar with slight confusion.

"Zeebo! Zeebo, old friend!" Kehaar called out to a gull nesting in a crevice along the cliffside. "Hey, you seen Katerina?"

The gull only gave a silent shake of the head, leaving Kehaar bewildered from the general response of the gulls since he came back. But his thoughts returned to finding Katerina. "She around here somewhere. Katerina, little feather! Where you are? Katerina..."

* * *

With Culoci's help, the rabbits took a faster path that delivered them to an impatient Hawkbit, who was glad to be rescued. The group headed down the path where at last they reached, what they thought to be solid ground, the sandy dunes of the coastline.

"Ah, good to be on level ground again." Bigwig was quite relieved to feel the earth in his paws, except he found out it wasn't earth but golden-brown sand and his paws sank deep into the ground. "Oi! What's this, then?"

"It's sand," Pipkin answered, jumping upon the sand. "Kehaar told me about it."

The second Bluebell had set food on the sand, his paws burned when they made contact with the hot dunes. "Yeow! Hot, hot, hot!" He lolloped from one side to the next until his paws felt the cooling sensation of the upcoming waves.

"By Frith, my paws are hot," said Dandelion, as he touches the sand and withdrew his paw.

"I believe it's because the sun heats up the sand, that's why it's hot," explained Lily, not the least bothered by the sand's heat warming her feet.

"Let's find Kehaar and get on our way," says Bigwig.

"But what if Kehaar wants to stay for a while?" asked Pipkin.

"I can't think of a single reason why anyone would want to hang about in this desolate place." Hawkbit tried his best to stand in the dunes, but he found it difficult.

"I'd like to just for a while." Lily scorned at him, then a playful smirk spread across her lips, and suddenly splashed some water in his face, causing Hawkbit to let out a girlish squeal at the touch of icy cold water on his body.

This sent everyone roaring with laughter, although Hazel was the only one who didn't find it amusing.

"Come on, everyone. Let's go for a walk and I'll show you everything." Lily immediately took off down the sandy lane, eager to show off more of the beach to her friends.

"Hey, wait up!" Hazel shouted, as he took off.

* * *

After flying around so much, Kehaar looked like he was just about to give up when he spotted a certain lady gull resting near the edge of a sea rock. "Katerina!" he called out as he swooped on down, grabbing her attention as he made a landing in front of her. "Katerina!"

She stood up, clear overjoyed from seeing him as she gasped. "Kehaar!"

The two flew off together as Kehaar cried down, "Katerina! I am home forever!..."

* * *

The rest of the group joined them in a small jog on the beach, trying to catch up with the happiest doe in the world as she lolloped merrily ahead of them. Turning a corner, Pipkin accidently slipped and fell into the water. He tried to swim, but the young buck realized he was standing in shallow water.

"Oh, it's lovely!" Pipkin smiled, actually enjoying his little pool. But the fun came to and end as a wave crashed down on him that soaked him wet. He crawled out of the small pool and shook the water's contents off his fur.

"Had a nice swim, did you?" teased Hawkbit.

Fiver's nose whiffed, smelling the ocean atmosphere. "So many new smells here."

Bigwig paused, finding a dead fish that was probably half eaten by the gulls or who knows what else. He sniffed it, then he drew back in disgust. "Oh, I can guarantee what some of them are of were."

"Look at this." Silver poked at a dead jellyfish that washed ashore, curious to what sort of creature it is.

Dandelion got a whiff of this strange sea creature, and he almost barfed because the pungent stench of the lifeless jellyfish was so terrible. "Peeeuuu!"

"It's called a jellyfish," Lily told them. "They're sort of like bees. They have stingers to paralyze their enemy, just don't touch their tentacles."

"You're right on one thing," said Hazel. "It's safer if no one touches anything else. We don't know what's dangerous and what isn't. We mustn't lose track of why we're here."

"Kehaar." Pipkin and Hannah thought of him, longingly.

"Let's move," ordered Bigwig.

The rabbits continued to wander the sandy shore, watching intently at the gulls flying over the great white cliffs in order to keep an eye out for Kehaar. No other gulls had black heads; it was the only trait to tell Kehaar apart from the rest of the seagulls.

* * *

Meanwhile, elsewhere along the rocky peaks, Kehaar was enthralling his lady gull with his tales from inland, mostly of his rabbit friends from Watership Down. However, much to his blissful ignorance, Katerina seemed either very bored or very annoyed with all the talk from this silly gull about bunnies and whatnot, and a little put off by his new "inland accent."

"…You'll love it, I know, when you see it. Watership Down is such a beautiful place. I bet Blackberry will make you feel very at home-"

It was at that moment Katerina made her voice known with a turn of her head. "What you think? I leave here? The sea?!"

"Oh, well…Well, all the rabbits would make you feel at home-"

"Don't talk crazy!"

"But… But Katerina, my feather-"

His thoughts were interrupted by the familiar call of the bells from the fishing boats. A sound that nearly startled Kehaar and that motivated Katerina.

"Food!" She flew off towards the ship, before being followed by Kehaar who cried out, "Katerina! Wait for me!"

* * *

"Which one is Kehaar?" wondered Pipkin.

"Do you see any other gull with a black face and with an unusual accent?" said Silver, rather sarcastically.

"Kehaar is not making this easy, is he?" Bigwig grumbled.

"Well, let's swim after him. We've come this far, why give up now?" Hawkbit grunted, with a touch of sarcasm.

"We can live without the sarcasm!" scolded Hazel.

Fiver discovered a small puddle of water and, feeling thirsty, decided to take a drink. The vile taste of the salty liquid made him as he started coughing and spitting it out. "This water's poisoned!" he gagged.

"This big water's salty. Kehaar told me," explained Pipkin.

"And another thing; fish pee and poop in this big water, so it won't taste good either," added Lily, and her response made the other rabbits squint, disturbed.

"More unusual things." No sooner had Hazel spoken those words, he cried out when some creature pinched him from his right hind leg. He looked back and found a red crab grabbed his leg with his claws. Hazel shook his leg wildly as he tried to force the crab to release him.

"Stand still," Bigwig laughed, as he tried to assist in removing that pesky crab.

"We'll get him, don't worry." Dandelion tried to help, but Hazel had already managed to throw the crab off him, and the crab glared at him before it went on its way.

"Frith and Inlé, what was that?" Bigwig wondered, surprised that such as small creature could attack anything bigger than it.

"It's a crab, I've seen them often on the beach and they pinch anyone or anything if it's threatened," Lily explained, slightly amused by Hazel's little dilemma.

All of a sudden, they heard a terrified scream. It belonged to Blackberry. Clearly, something is wrong. The alarmed rabbits came rushing to her aide. She was opening and shutting her mouth and licking her lips, much as a cat does when something disgusts it. They all looked to what she located, and their faces went as pale as Silver's fur.

"Don't look!" Fiver gasped, when he first caught a glimpse of what scared Blackberry, shielding little Pipkin's eyes so he cannot gaze at such a gory sight.

There lying upon the sand was a newly fresh corpse, staining the golden dunes with its blood and torn flesh. The stomach had been forcibly ripped open and eaten, exposing the organs and attracting flies. Drifting feathers lay on the ground, indicating the gulls must have been eating at it, except the large open wound on the body was so big and so wide, not even the gulls could have torn a hole this big on a dolphin.

"Oh, my Frith!" Hazel gawked, horrified.

"W-W-What is it?" Bigwig stuttered, probably for the first time in his life.

"It's a dolphin!" Lily looked at the dead mammal with pity and sorrow. "They're very popular among humans because they're known to be playful and friendly, and for saving the lives of humans lost at the big water." There was something else; a tiny object glistened in the sun. Lily used her teeth to pull it out, believing she had seen this before. When she had succeeded, the doe stared at the object in her paws and her eyes widened in terror.

At last, Dandelion broke the silence. "Uh, Lily... what did you find?"

"I believe I know what killed this poor creature." Lily displayed the white object in her paws for all to gaze upon. "This tooth belongs to a shark."

Unfamiliar with the word, the rabbits stared at her with confusion.

So, Blackberry broke the silence at last to ask what everybody wanted to say, "Err, what is a shark?"

"A monster of a fish with a razor fin on top of its back, almost similar to this dolphin here, except its teeth are much sharper than a wolf's," Lily explained, punctuating her point with a chomping motion of her muzzle. "Very lethal... eats other creatures or even unsuspecting humans. Their mouth is about..." Lily hesitated before looking right at the markings on the corpse, "…as large as the wound on this poor dolphin."

Nobody said a word against her describing the most fearsome predator in the ocean. The rabbits trembled, petrified by this deadly elil that nobody ever knew about. One that kills and devours humans and animals in the great water with a mouth so huge, neither one dared to imagine what it would've been like to be in the jaws of a monster.

"We'll have some tales to tell when we get home," Bluebell gulped.

"That is _if_ we ever get home," reminded Hawkbit.

"Hmm... how about we head back to the cliffs?" suggested Blackberry, and everybody else agreed.

The sun began to set around that time. As the rabbits trailed up another rocky path that will take them to the cliffs, they were suddenly bombarded by raining clam shells. The clams had come from the seagulls, all swooping downward to drive off the rabbits, believing their intent was to steal their food. Startled, the rabbits dove for cover. Once safe, everyone watched as the gulls broke the shells (already cracked and damaged as a result of the fall) apart and ripped out the juicy insides to devour hungrily.

"Now it's official: I'm _really_ gonna be sick." A sickened Silver did his best not to barf, but he already did as he leaned to the side and hurled all over the ground.

"Ewww!" everyone cringed, some of them trying not to get nauseous as well.

"Now _there's_ a trick," said Hazel, correctly figuring out how the gulls had gotten their food out of the clams.

"I can't think what good it would do us," added Bigwig.

"You never know."

"Go on, ask them." Hawkbit said encouragingly, trying to get Pipkin to communicate with the gulls. "You know how to talk to these creatures."

Pipkin looked doubtful, a little frightened by the gulls' aggressiveness earlier and remembering Culoci's warning.

"What?!" Bigwig gasped, incredulously. "Don't you dare encourage him!"

"I'm going to try it." Pipkin decided, ignoring his father's warning and he slowly hopped toward the first gull he came upon. Two of the gulls were brawling over a piece of the clam's meat. Swallowing his fear, Pipkin spoke, "Excuse me? Do you know Kehaar?"

The gulls stopped fighting and turned to stare down at the little rabbit, then suddenly cawed viciously at him. Pipkin fell back, terrified. Bigwig's parental instincts kicked in as he jumped in and shielded his son, sending the gulls a threatening growl, warning the gulls to back off should they attempt physical harm on Pipkin. The two rabbis retreated back to their hiding spot, where a worried and relieved Lily embraced them both.

"They didn't hurt you?" Hazel asked, a little concerned.

Pipkin shook his head, though he was shaken.

Catching his breath, Bigwig gave both Hawkbit and Hazel a look of utter fury, exclaiming furiously, "I warned you talking to strange birds was a stupid mistake! Or have you forgotten what happened when you," he aimed a scowl at Hazel, "tried talking to the _corvil_?! It nearly got us all killed!"

Ashamed, Hazel knew the lion buck was right. How could he have forgotten and ignored what occurred months ago. He felt like an idiot, a true leader must learn from his past mistakes and never repeat them if anyone in his band got seriously injured. "You're right, Bigwig," he admitted. "I'm sorry."

Sensing he etched his message clear to his leader, Bigwig sighed as his anger melted like ice.

Hawkbit finally realized how correct the puffins were about the seagulls' aggressiveness. "Culoci's got a point about those gulls."

"This big water's got some major drawbacks," Dandelion pointed out, deciding to head back to the beach.

"Perhaps we can try finding a different way up," Hannah suggested.

* * *

Around the same time those gulls were dropping mussels down on the rocks to open them, Katerina was having troubles of her own, trying to grab a juicy meal from the larger gull, a bully of a bird name of Kako. She was busy trying to grab at the fish from him when they turned to see Kehaar with a whopper of a fish in his beak. Katerina immediately grabbed the fish from his beak and began to feast heartily, but something was off. Kehaar was just… standing there. Watching. He was not trying to fight for his meal like she was.

Looking up briefly from her meal, she asked with slight irritation by this silly gull's behavior, "You not want?"

"No. I only want to share," he merely replied, causing a nearby Kako to spit his food out with surprise at what Kehaar had just said.

Katerina merely replied with a cold tone, "You not fight for share, you not get share."

Kako let out laughing caws as he shoved Kehaar out of the way. "Go back to high hills. Live with fluffy rabbits, Ke-har-har-har-har-har…"

Kehaar was greatly surprised as Katerina joined in ridiculing Kehaar, forcing him to walk away from the two. As he looked over the edge, he looked down at his reflection. "Hmmmm…none of this make sense. I greet the other gulls, but they don't greet back. Gulls do not take interest in wonders outside the Big Water. And gulls fighting for food instead of sharing? Ohhh… the sea has changed so much for Kehaar… or maybe…"

His own reflection was being clouded by several crashing waves, making it difficult to see himself in the water.

"…_Kehaar_ changed so much for the sea. Hmmmm…"

* * *

Their troubles were just beginning as the tide started to come crashing closer upon the shore. The rabbits gasped, stunned and alarmed by what could be danger. It expanded past their feet, almost drowning Hannah when she scrambled up on Bigwig's back. The group took a few steps back, finding themselves trapped between the rocks and the water.

"The water is getting closer," worried Bigwig.

"It wasn't here a while ago. But that's impossible!" Hazel exclaimed, watching his pawprints disappear as the water washed them away.

"But true, I think."

Silver cast an agitated look toward Lily. "Care to explain why this is happening, lass?"

Truthfully, the former farm rabbit had no idea of why the water is rushing in on them. "I-I don't know," Lily admitted. "The humans who took me here only stayed for a short time. We don't stay at nighttime."

* * *

Kehaar had much to think about. All this time he thought that all he ever wanted after helping his rabbits friends with Efrafa, was to return to the shore and be with Katerina. But…now being back after so long, Kehaar was now feeling out of place among the flock. Opposite his direction, Katerina herself was greatly perplexed at this "new" Kehaar. It is as if his time inland made him soft, in her mind.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Kako came around her nest. "Want to raid puffins? Wreck some nests, scare them good, no?"

Needing some real gull fun, she agreed. "Finally, something to do. Kako know Katerina so well."

Of course, Kehaar overheard his offer and decided to voice his thoughts. "Why do you want to hurt puffins?" The two turned to face him. "They don't hurt us."

Katerina huffed lightly at that remark. More craziness from Kehaar since he got back. "You used to like puffin game."

"Maybe once, but I learned since then. It's better to get along with neighbors, not make enemies… especially when they don't do any harm. Living at Watership Down taught me-"

"Hah! Should have known: _more_ fluffy bunny talk!" Kako laughed out.

Katerina merely shook her head before remarking, "I don't know what is with Kehaar anymore."

The two flew off together towards the puffin colony. Not wanting to see the poor birds get hurt, Kehaar flew after them, keeping a distance to make sure their little "puffin game" did not get out of talon. Unfortunately, to his horror, seeing the "puffin game" after being away for so long, he was starting to see more and more of his fondest memories turn into horrible truths. For a brief moment, he even saw one puffin fighting off Kako briefly as himself fighting off those damn crows nearly a season ago.

"Ooh… this all Kehaar can stand and no more!" Kehaar remarked, dipping back into his gull-speak before swooping in behind Kako and Katerina. "Why? Why you do this?!"

The puffins defending their nests were in sheer surprise to see a gull trying to stop his own flock-members from attacking them further. "LEAVE PUFFINS ALONE!"

While Kako was momentarily stilled by Kehaar's outburst, Katerina merely tried to soar closer to the nests before being blocked by Kehaar. "Kehaar mean it! Go! _GO!_" he squawked at her, determined to stop the violence.

Like Kako, she too was stilled by his outburst before she had finally had enough with Kehaar's strange behavior and thoughts, seeing that this Kehaar…was no longer a real gull. "You're not the Kehaar I once know! You're _nothing_ to Katerina now!" she coldly retorted before she and Kako flew off, having had enough of the "puffin game" for today.

Seeing the gulls off, Kehaar carefully landed in the middle of the puffin colony. "Forgive Kehaar's friends, puffins. They're just stupid and mean sometimes, but not like rabbits-"

Culoci, the puffin who fended off against Kako, realized who this gull was… and how he was mistaken earlier. "Ohhh! You're that gull friend of the rabbits!"

"Yeah…Yeah, their _big_ friend."

"Hazel was right: you gulls are not all the same."

"Wait! You know Hazel?" he asked Culoci, realizing that in all his excitement he nearly forgot about looking for the Watership Down rabbits. "Where are they?"

"Gone down to the beach, looking for you."

Kehaar's eyes widened, realizing the danger those rabbits are in. "Oh no! They all the way down there?!" Seeing the waves rising higher and higher, he knew what would befall his friends if he did not get to them in time. "Thank you, my new friend," Kehaar thanked the puffin before swooping below the peaks. "I must go find my rabbit friends before it is too late! Thank you!"

* * *

Searching for any higher ground level to save them, Hazel managed to find higher ground from a giant boulder that can protect his band from the oncoming waves. "Bigwig! Up there, look!"

"I think we can make it." Bigwig quickly assisted his leader in helping everyone in climbing on top of the boulder.

The second they made it, the waves thunderously crashed against the boulder and out of their reach, but now the water is rising up. Since the water could not reach them just yet, the rabbits needed to find a solution to their problem, or else the tide will come in and everybody will sink to the bottom of the sea if neither of them can swim in such deep waters.

"Shouldn't we try finding a way out of here?" stressed Dandelion.

"We shall have to wait it out until the water goes away," suggested Hazel, though he wasn't entirely convinced.

When the sun had vanished and the moon had come out, its gravitational pull began causing the ocean to push the tide closer. The stranded rabbits on the rocks could see the tide was halfway filled to their feet. Nobody had any option of escape, not even the always clever Blackberry had a plan. Some of them wrongly accused Kehaar of abandoning them, while others refused to believe in that nonsense. Everyone started to believe this was the end. The rabbits dreaded the thought of never returning home to Watership Down and reunited with their loved ones again.

Just then, Hazel's and Pipkin's ears perked up. Could it be? That voice... is it... Yes, it really is him.

"Kehaar!" Pipkin shouted, waving his arms when he heard the gull calls their names.

"Kehaar? Is that you?" Hazel asked, hopefully.

Hearing this, the rabbits began to yell louder than ever. Their spirits once drained when all hope felt lost were miraculously restored by the rescue of a loyal friend. Kehaar maneuvered directions and landed in front of the group.

"Kehaar, thank Frith you're here!" Hazel relieved.

"Oh, I can't tell you how glad I am to see you!" Hannah was so overjoyed that she crawled off Bigwig's back and climbed up to be on the gull's back to embrace his neck.

"Where the hell have you been?!" Silver questioned, still irked by his absence.

"It's a long story," replied Kehaar, deciding to save the explanation for later. "Now, what is going on here?"

"We're being swallowed by this poisoned water!" panicked Hawkbit.

"This happen two times at big water, when the moon is out. The tide comes in, but it moves slowly."

"Not slow enough for my liking."

"Uh, how high does it get?" asked Bigwig.

Kehaar hesitated, fully aware of how high a tide can go. He didn't wish to scare the rabbits of what the deadly truth will be, but he could not keep them in suspense any longer. The gull looked at the cliffs and pointed, "That far."

Everyone gasped, realizing the tide will eventually be above their heads. They could very well drown if no one escaped. Old marks that were from previous high tides still remained on the walls to this day, or night.

"How about finding us a boat? Remember how we escaped the Efrafans on one?" Blackberry recalled, thinking up her own idea that might help them. "You once said there are many boats on the big water, so why not find one and we use it to get on and-" Her sentence ended upon noticing how eerily and silently stunned Lily had become. "What's the matter?"

The doe had gone tharn. Lily, her eyes never left the water's surface, spoke with her voice cracked a little bit, "Kehaar... if you find us a boat... we're gonna need a _bigger_ boat."

Everybody stared at her, wondering why on earth she had gone tharn. Lily was too shaken and paralyzed to say more. Bigwig, Fiver and Hazel then realized the doe's emotions was telling them something dangerous is nearby. Following her eye contact to the ocean, they saw it and their expressions grew aghast.

A shiny dorsal fin gliding through the water's surface, connected to a great shadow which cruised slowly in circles in front of the trapped animals. It changed direction and paused, its enormous face emerging from the water. A great shark stared up at the rabbits with small, callous, black eyes.

"_**SHARK****!**_" screeched Kehaar.

Panic and pandemonium broke out instantly among the group. In Lily's mind, she imagined the theme from Jaws playing in the background. Why did this have to happen to them?

"What do we do?" Hawkbit panicked, grasping Dandelion by the waist and freaking out. "WHAT DO WE DO?!"

"Quiet! There's a ledge above us. We can climb up there." Hazel had been studying the wall's height and discovered a ledge that his friends can use to climb up.

Fiver hopped towards the bottom of the ledge, trying to jump up to it but he lost his footing and he slid back down. "I can't make it."

"Oh, great!" Bluebell groaned, discouraged. "If that tide comes in, we're easy prey for elil."

"Nobody is going to die on my watch!" Bigwig refused to let anyone, particularly Lily and Pipkin, perish at the jaws of death. "We will get out of this alive!"

Kehaar was mumbling to himself, which the others couldn't understand due to his accent. The hard look in his eyes did tell them he was thinking of a plan.

"What are you thinking, Kehaar?" Hazel asked.

Then, a light bulb illuminated over Kehaar's head when he found the solution to this dilemma. "Please don't go away! I'll be right back!" He flew back towards the huge island in the middle of the sea, with Hannah still on his back.

"And just where would we go?" Hawkbit grunted, pointing out the obvious how nobody can get off the boulder.

* * *

Kehaar flew off to the giant rock where his flock was gathered, nesting for the night soundly only to be interrupted by the rantings of their newly-returned "crazy gull".

"Please! It's very important! I come to ask for help! Poor rabbits are in trouble!"

One gull squawked out, "Quiet, we sleeping!"

Seeing no help from the others, he looked to Katerina and Kako, nesting together. Normally, this would have stirred some jealousy, but right now he was more afraid for his friends than ever. "Stop sleeping! Please help me!"

Katerina merely answered with her eyes closed, "Why we should do this?"

"Because they are my friends."

"Friends?! Hah! They do nothing for us!" Kako interjected with his thoughts.

"They not friends. Is simple."

"What rabbits doing at Big Water anyway?"

"Their fault, they in trouble."

Disgusted and outraged, Hannah fumed in silent scorn at the Katerina, whom Kehaar claimed to be his fair beloved gull, was nothing more than a selfish bitch. She wanted to throw an insult, but no words came out of her mouth when Kehaar silenced her.

At long last, Kehaar's eyes were fully opened to how gull life compared to rabbit life…and soon made his decision on the matter there and then with a disappointed look at his former lady gull.

"…You have black heart, Katerina," he told her, dipping back into his gull-speak with a very bitter tone. "No room in it for me, for friends or any good things of world. Kehaar thought all be well if came home…but it seems I was wrong." He flew off, leaving his flock for the very last time to seek help from real friends.

Katerina merely looked away in sheer disbelief, scoffing lightly. "He always crazy gull. Now he _very_ crazy…"

* * *

While everyone waited, some of the tried to climb up the rocks, but their bearings didn't last long when their claws scraped against the wall, another set of waves came rocketing toward the rabbits, all whom scrambled to get out of the way.

"Oh no, not again!" Unfortunately for Hawkbit, he didn't move fast enough as the waves crashed amongst the rocks, the impact created a huge splash. Hawkbit was soaking wet, his ears were damp and hung low, and he was less than amused.

Lily, Pipkin and Bluebell couldn't help but laugh at the sight of a wet rabbit. But their chortle never lasted forever. Within the darkened sea, the shark opened his mouth and made a lung for the helpless rabbits. Silver quickly yanked Hawkbit away from the edge in time. The shark began attacking the cliffs furiously, attempting to smash their little island. The rabbits forced their backs to the wall, feeling the vibrations of the shark's slams traveling up the cliffs, although it made some loose stones fall as a huge boulder wedged within a small gap creaked slightly. Nobody knew of this.

"I just hope Kehaar hasn't got lost in the dark," worried Hazel.

"He knows this place so well, he'll be back," assured Pipkin, despite the terrible situation, his confidence was strong. "I'm sure of it."

As if in answer to his words, a cawing Kehaar appeared around the corner of the rocks and landed beside Hawkbit, who shook the water's contents off his fur. "Help is on the way!" he exclaimed, joyously.

"Got all your gull friends together, did you?" Hawkbit asked.

At this, Kehaar's smile faded as he stared at the ground in saddened disappointment. "Actually, no. Gulls are..." The only description he gave of his own species would have been a cuss word, except he blew raspberries to let them know his attempt to plead for help from the gulls backfired terribly.

Hannah's facial expression was a scorn of burning fury. "Katerina, and all of those gulls, are a load of bull-"

"DON'T... you dare!" Lily hissed, throwing her paws over Pipkin's ears so he cannot listen what the mouse came close to saying.

Another caw came from nowhere and Pipkin recognized it immediately, "It's the puffins!"

The entire puffin colony, led by Culoci, had come to their rescue. Hovering in the air, Culoci dropped a pebble that landed between Bigwig and Silver which baffled them. Another puffin repeated this command. One by one, the puffins sent a rain of rocks and pebbles down on the rabbits' little island. Then, Kehaar gathered the rocks and pebbles against the wall in a pile so it will be easier for the rabbits to climb.

"I'm beginning to understand!" Bigwig's face lit up in realization. "What are we waiting for?"

Working together, the rabbits started piling anything they can find against the wall. Hawkbit and Dandelion had to double check when picking up a floating thick branch from the water, just in case the shark might jump up and catch them. But the shark had other ideas. Sensing that it was in the risk of losing his prey, the shark came up with a plan. It withdrew and swam further out, preparing for one last bash against the island.

"Brilliant, Kehaar!" Pipkin praised.

A bloodcurdling roar froze their blood. Turning around, all of the horrified animals watched as the shark hurled itself forward, cutting swiftly through the surface like the dangerous speed of runaway train.

"Oh no! Everyone up, now!" Bigwig commanded.

There is no time to lose. The rabbits climbed up the completed pile of rocks and pebbles to reach the top of the ledge with success, keeping together so to avoid the final shark attack. This left only Lily and Hazel the last to go. Before either of them moved, the bellow of the beast had almost made them go tharn when they looked back and gasped. The shark was growing closer by the minute, using the growing tidal waves for his gain to reach higher level.

"RUN!" Lily cried, cuffing Hazel to snap him out of it.

The two rabbits started to climb, but Hazel slipped and slowly fell back. Lily whirled around and caught him by the paw in time. With Bigwig's and Silver's strong arms, they lifted Lily and Hazel up, just a few seconds before the shark, and the waves, smashed against the wall the rabbits had been climbing. But the impact of the shark's weight caused the great boulder from above to come loose out of the gap. It tumbled downward and the rabbits scooched ever so closely to the wall, allowing it to pass. The bellowing of the shark was silenced as the boulder smashed on top of his back, killing it instantly.

With the threat of elil eliminated, the rabbits all sighed in great relief. The water covered the little island beneath their ledge, where the dead body of the shark floated on the surface, drifting farther away out to sea.

"Right, everyone's up now," said Bigwig.

"And not a moment too soon," Hazel agreed, then he turned to Lily with a grateful smile. "Thank you for your help."

"It was nothing." Lily brushed off his thanks, glad to have made it out of a sticky situation.

"We wait, until the tide goes away soon," advised Kehaar.

"You say this water comes and goes twice a day?" Fiver asked, just to make sure.

"Yeah, always."

Still frantic with distress obviously a result of the shark's massive attacks, Hawkbit pleaded desperately, "Oi! Get me back to dry land! Please!"

Bluebell rolled his eyes at him, slightly annoyed. "We'll get there. Now, stop acting like a baby."

When Culoci landed in front of the rabbits, Hazel approached him, feeling entirely grateful for his rescue and his quick thinking that saved him and his friends. "I really don't know how to thank you, Culoci."

"Anything I can do for puffins, oh, I do, okay?" Kehaar said, happily.

"Too bad not more gulls are like you, Kehaar," Culoci replied, appreciating their gratitude and amazed at how friendly Kehaar truly is.

One of the puffins arrived, carrying some fish in his beak, as a sign of offering food for the rabbits. Lily and the group were uneasy about eating the fish, considering the fact rabbits only eat grass, plants, fruit or vegetables, but the puffins had no clue to this.

"Uh, that's every kind of you, but-" Before Hazel could finish, somebody else hops over to pick up the fish with his mouth.

"Thank you very much, Culoci." Pipkin accepted their gift, although on pretense to eat it so not to offend the puffins.

"Yes, very kind. Cheers!" added Bigwig.

"Well, gotta go back to me family." Spreading his wings, Culoci took to the skies and rejoined his flock, heading back to their home and to their nest.

"You know," Fiver smiled, "I've got a feeling that we will be seeing Culoci again someday. And not just him, but Hyacinth too."

"Did you have a vision of that?" Lily asked, hopefully.

Her question had gone unanswered as Pipkin spits the wiggling fish out of his mouth, the taste felt awful on his tongue.

"Good old Pipkin," chuckled Fiver.

"Wouldn't catch me doing that," Hawkbit giggled. "But he's not a bad soul, for a fellow who stays at home and minds the young'uns."

Hazel then heard Kehaar sigh longingly, whilst the gull stared at the fish hungrily and hopefully. The Chief Rabbit knew what he was thinking.

"You mind?" the gull asked.

"Please, they're all yours." Hazel was more than glad to surrender the fish to him.

Relieved, Kehaar happily picked up the fish, tossed it in the air and devoured it in one bite. It seemed to gross out Hazel as he cringed. With nothing else to do other than waiting for the tide to go away, the rabbits decided to go to sleep and wait until morning to leave.

* * *

No sooner had everyone dozed off in a peaceful slumber, all was not entirely peaceful that same night. Large black birds as dark as the night sky stood up high on the cliffside, keenly watching the snoozing rabbits, gull and mouse and all of the events that occurred before it. These were no ordinary black birds, ravens as they are, yet bigger than any raven nobody has ever seen. They concealed themselves carefully so not to attract elil, such as owls or coyotes.

"The enemies of the Dark One are much stronger and cleverer than I expected," muttered the biggest raven of all, most likely, their leader.

"Did you see how they crushed that giant fish monster, Corvus?" the second raven jabbed his wing down at the floating shark's corpse. "What if those bloody outsiders use that same technique to destroy the Dark One…_and_ to Her Majesty?"

The raven, preferably referred to as Corvus and the very same raven whom ambushed or wounded Kehaar during the rabbits escape from Efrafa, haughtily dismissed his second-in-command's concerns. "Rubbish! No such tricks can ever destroy the Queen of Darkhaven _or_ the Dark One. You know how _lethal_ she can be in combat, and the legends all foretold the Dark One to be a great warrior giant."

"So, what do we do then?" asked the second-in-command. "Strike the scum while they're still recovering?"

"…No, Albus. The Queen has given us her orders: to gain the allegiance of the gulls for our army."

"And if they refuse?"

"Then take them by _force_," the raven sneered cruelly. "Tear those resisting to shreds, if you must, but we need as many strong fliers and fighters as we can gather. After all, any creature who hates an enemy of the Dark One… is one loyal soldier more for the coming of the new age."

* * *

By the first sunrise, the rabbits quickly headed their way up a different rocky narrow path that directed them to the top of the white cliffs. The tide had gone, yet the shark's corpse laid bare and battered upon the shore.

The rabbits decided to watch the magnificent view of the ocean before leaving. Lily gazed at the spellbinding scenery for the last time, saddened she only came here to relish in those precious memories and then abandon them. As though reading her mind, Bigwig approached her and placed a paw on her shoulder, comfortingly.

"You're going to miss this place?" he asked.

"I am." She nodded. "I know I belong on Watership Down now, but I'll never forget this place or the memories I had here."

"Well, after seeing it and wondering you like it so much, I'm beginning to understand why." The lion buck tenderly nuzzled her forehead, and she returned the gesture with equal affection.

"It's time we went home," Hazel announced to his little band, then he turned to Kehaar. "Are you coming?"

Everyone waited for Kehaar to make his decision. Will he stay by the ocean or will he join them on their journey back home? The gull faced the island where all of the seagulls were out and about, thinking of Katerina and all of the old memories he once shared with her. "I miss some things..." he spoke softly, yet those days were history and Katerina has become a coldhearted gull, not the same he used to know. Someday, he will find that special gull who will accept his friends and as he is. But for now, he exclaimed proudly, "but I go home too. To Watership Down!"

Ecstatic, the rabbits cheered. Kehaar was going back home with them after all. As they bounded off to catch the next bus ride home, none of them even noticed how the seagulls, or what's left of them after the ravens' genocidal intrusion last night, were terribly injured or bleeding from the scars and brutal beatings the ravens inflicted upon them. The whereabouts of Katerina and Kako, along with a few other gulls, were left a mystery to them. But if they had only looked, they would not need Fiver's visions to correctly deduce this tragedy for Kehaar's former flock as a sign of dark times ahead.

* * *

_**Merry Christmas, everyone! Apologizes for keeping you waiting. I'll be going to visit relatives for Christmas and I won't be back until after I come home and after the New Year passes. I look forward to writing more adventures of Watership Down and I thank everyone for enjoying my story. I hope you all have a Happy New Year:)**_


	35. Journey to Thinial p1

_**Happy late New Year everybody, I'm sorry if this took so long. I had a writer's block problem and the need to focus on my job. I'd like to thank Knight of Renaissance Light for the idea of Flyairth's warren, introducing a new OC name Rascal into the story, and for the help I needed. Flyairth is a character in Tales from Watership Down, sequel to the fist novel. Read and enjoy it!**_

* * *

A ride home on a bus that delivered our heroes to a strange and unfamiliar landscape was not quite what the rabbits had in mind for their journey home. The vehicle had stopped at a motel to let off passengers, some of them needing their personal belongings out of the luggage trunk, making the rabbits assume this was their stop to get off, only to find themselves lost in a rural country unknown to them. They concealed themselves in the thick brambles to avoid the humans passing by. As soon as the coast is clear, the gang crept out of the brambles and studied their surroundings.

"Where do you suppose we are?" asked Pipkin.

"How should I know? I'm not the one who told us to get off the hrududu!" Hawkbit fumed irately at the culprit responsible for ordering everyone to leave their last ride home: their chief rabbit.

"It's not as if I wanted us to get off at the wrong spot!" Hazel defended himself.

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway." As usual, Blackberry remained as reasonable as ever. "We should perhaps wait for the next hrududu to come."

"But that would take... eh, a very long time to wait. What say we go on from here?" Once his feet made contact with the ground, Kehaar collapsed from exhaustion after all that flying and chasing the bus left him tired, and he hoped silently for a moment to rest his wings.

"We can't just sit here," Silver moped, "but going on in the open could be more dangerous! What if an elil attacked us while we're waiting for a hrududu?"

"I agree, we need to find some sort of shelter..." Hazel fixed his attention to the sky, for it grew dark with each passing minute as the clouds blocked out the sun. "...And soon."

Nobody paid attention to what Lily had been doing. She came to a cross-road and a sign post - _To Whitchurch, 20 miles. To Hare Warren Farm, 11 miles. To Ridgeway Farm, 2 miles._ Lily's heart jumped in her throat. The name of her old home, Ridgeway Farm, is on the sign post, and 2 miles was not a long journey. She re-read the sign post to make doubly sure this was not a trick. Tears of joy shed from her overjoyed blue eyes. An invisible force seemed to pull her down the road longing to return home, the yearning of returning to her long-lost home made her spirit soar like the song of the yellowhammer in the breeze.

Her squeals of delight alarmed the group of rabbits she left behind at first, believing a hawk was swooping in to attack, except noticing a member of their band had impulsively ran off.

"LILY! What in Frith's name are you doing?!" shouted Bigwig, then he took after her when his voice fell on deaf ears.

Hazel rounded up the rest of the gang when he recognized the situation, he bellowed, "Follow her!" and they raced frantically in the direction she had gone, hoping to outrun the doe.

"Ugh, here we go again." Kehaar groaned, as he picked himself up and spread his wings, then he took to the skies for another pursuit.

It grew darker by the second. The wind whistled sharply, making the trees creak slightly. A distant rumble sounded off. The rabbits understood when a storm was approaching, and the most important thing to do right now was to find shelter. Except in the case of the careless, reckless actions of a member of their group, there was no chance of finding shelter from the upcoming storm.

After an hour's racing, Lily easily remember the right turn and several more to find a very familiar stone wall that blocked her view. Heart pounding, the doe picked up speed to run for the entrance. I know it is gone, but I want to see my old home... one last time, she thought, eagerly. But when she rounded the bend to the farm's entrance, the doe found yellow tape had been sealed up to prevent trespassers from entering. There was no gate anymore. Confused but not deterred, Lily managed to squeeze under the tape and her eyes were met by a peculiar sight.

Where once stood a magnificent house and a beautiful red barn, now barricaded by the wreckage of the old barn, and the house had been left to rot before the humans cleaned up the mess. Chances of rebuilding them seemed close to perfection, except the house and the barn appeared quite different than the last ones. The fire had done its damage of destroying the lives of innocent people.

Suddenly, her ears cocked up. Something was approaching, and quite rapidly by the rush of pitter-pattering paws. Standing back up on all four feet, a shocked Lily gasped when she saw a huge dog racing through the construction works toward her, barking with excitement. It was a huge St. Bernard, panting with a large grin on his muzzle and his paws muddy from the dirt he trampled over. Lily turned, breaking into a desperate run to escape, but she was well aware of how large dogs can be faster. The St. Bernard was gaining on her, pouncing upon her small fragile form. The doe let out a terrified squeal, fearing her end will come when the dog spoke to her.

"Is that any way to greet an old acquaintance, dear lass?" the canine's voice was a deep masculine tone, yet despite his gigantic and intimidating appearance, his expression was good-natured and friendly.

Totally baffled, Lily stared up at the dog looming above her and wondered why on earth would claim himself as an old friend to her. Recognition crossed her face, her eyes lit up in surprised amazement. "Rascal! Is it really you?" she cried.

"In the flesh... err, fur... if you know what I mean." His tail wagging ecstatically, Rascal leaned in to give her a great big kiss, or rather a slobbery lick in the face.

All of a sudden, a familiar voice erupted in the atmosphere as a lion maned buck dashed past the open entrance and slammed his body full tilt against the St. Bernard's face, striking him at the muzzle. The unexpected attack made the dog rear his head back, crying out in slight pain.

"Stop it!" Lily threw herself between them, blocking him from continuing his assault.

"Run for your life, lass!" ordered Bigwig, desperately trying to urge her to make a run for it.

"No, Bigwig! You don't understand," Lily explained. "Rascal is an old friend of mine."

"WHAT?!" Stupefied, Bigwig couldn't believe his ears. Was his own mate making up some fabricated story of befriending an elil, or was she just saying it out fear for her life?

A few seconds later, the rest of the little rabbit band caught up with them. Their reactions at this startling revelation seemed impossible to believe. How can any rabbit claim a dog as his or her "old friend"? As for the dog himself, Rascal rubbed his face with his forepaws while glaring quite indignantly at the lion-maned buck.

"I'm so sorry about Bigwig..." Lily attempted to apologize on his behalf, only to get cut off.

"I should hope so! I cannot abide terrible manners, such as rudely interrupting a reunion between old acquaintances." the dog lightly growled, speaking like an old-fashioned gentleman who's been aggravated by unwanted guests. "Impulsively assaulting an animal like that is inexcusable, especially when you come here without as much as an invitation. Haven't even been formally introduced to these... ugh, friends of yours, eh, lass?"

No one spoke or breathed a word to this giant canine. Lily couldn't blame them for distrusting the St. Bernard. After all they've been through against Duster and Bob, it's not easy to get acquainted with a good dog who'd never hurt a fly. "They're not just my friends, Rascal. They are my family." She pointed out each rabbit in order when making introductions. "This is Hazel, our leader... Fiver, his brother... Bigwig, my mate... Pipkin, our adopted son... Blackberry... Hawkbit... Bluebell... Dandelion... Silver... and, uhh, where are Kehaar and Hannah?"

As though an answer to her question, the gull circled the group with relief at finding their missing friend. That is, until he crash-landed a few inches in the yard. Hannah came tumbling off his back, somersaulting across the ground then stopped. Again, the embarrassed rabbits sighed and shook their heads at Kehaar's clumsy landing. Kehaar stood up and stretched his wings out to ease the pain.

Hannah put her paws on her hips and gave the doe a harsh frown that meant she was going to give Lily a lecture for her recklessness. "What the hell is the matter with you, Lily?! Running off into the night like a crazed wolf on the hunt!"

Stunned, Lily's ears drooped around her head. "I saw... I saw a signpost that would take me to my old home."

"What you did was very idiotic and careless!" Hazel scolded, sternly.

"I'm sorry, but I was only-"

It was by now that Bigwig grew infuriated with what he assumed to be a pathetic excuse. His angered green eyes glowered right through her timid blue ones, and his own lecture twice as harsh than the Chief Rabbit or the field mouse. "You think rushing off on your own is a good idea just because you found the farm you grew up in, except it never occurred to you that something bad would happen to you, such as an elil picking you off!" His voice was dangerously low. "Because we all recently heard you squeal. For a minute there, I assumed you were in danger... especially with a huge dog looming over you, I thought for sure..."

"Please, there is no need to rile yourselves further about it," Rascal interrupted, trying to be fair and reasonable before the situation could turn ugly. "I understand you are perfectly correct in your lecture, old chap. Although, you need not react so harshly. The lass hasn't been home for a few seasons."

Despite nobody else wishing to interact with the dog, the ever confident and friendly Pipkin took his chance as he spoke, "Father is just worried about Mother, that's all. Uhh, Mr..."

Rascal leaned forward to stick his paw out for the young kit to take. "Sir Collins Montclair Amadeus Ruffschild the Third… but friends and my owners call me 'Rascal.' Delighted to meet you, dear lad."

Though confused by the gesture at first, Pipkin recalled what Lily once told him about hand-shakes the humans would do to greet one another, so he grasped his tiny paws on the dog's larger one and politely shook it. "It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Rascal. I can't help wondering... Don't you... err, hunt rabbits like other dogs do?"

At this, the St. Bernard let out a roar of laughter. He calmed down and cleared his throat so that he could answer the question straightforward. "No offense, young kit, but I've laid neither claw nor fang on a poor rabbit in my life, nor will I ever. Vegetarian and pacifist since puphood, you know? We St. Bernards were bred to save such frail creatures, not like other breeds of my kind who were bred to hunt them for food or sport."

"Well, that's a relief," Hawkbit grumbled under his breath.

"So, Rascal, how do you know Lily?" Hazel asked softly, his fear and distrust at this gentle giant melted away.

"Ever since she was a kit," Rascal replied, smiling. "She was always an adventurous, spirited young rabbit. And the only one who ever approached me for the purpose of befriending me. When you're a canine of my stature and build, other creatures, well… let's just say the very breed I was born into is something akin to what the humans call a 'scarlet letter.'" The rabbits, mice, and gull (except for Lily who knew the reference well enough) looked at each other with slight confusion. "While our size and strength are somewhat of a turn-off, we St. Bernards are quite docile."

Rascal leaned down to give Lily a nuzzle, which lightly pushed her onto her back. "That being said, it certainly didn't stop a certain young kit from popping over to the farm next door, look me squarely in the eye, and ask why I had no friends. From then on, we had such times, even as I got bigger and bigger to her," he sighed with content at such memories. "…But I digress. Now do tell me, Lily, whatever happened to you after the Ridgeway fire? I tried to sniff about for you, but the ghastly smoke dared to offend my olfactory senses and cloud my every effort to trail you."

It took Lily some time to relay the entire story from the fire to this moment, and the gargantuan St. Bernard listened in and reacted accordingly to each detail, from the sorrow felt of Lily losing her short-lived friend Violet to the contempt at how horribly the Threarah, Cowslip, and this General Woundwort treated her and her friends to the excitement over the fact that his dear friend found herself a mate (ironically the Bigwig chap who dared to strike at him without forethought) and had a litter of her own, being fond of children himself.

"…And so, after we left the Big Water, we hopped back onto the bus and rode on until I found a sign that pointed the way back to my old farm, and now we're all here."

After all was said and done, Rascal merely flopped to the ground, his jowls laying on the grass. "Well… that is quite a story. Well… at least you came out all right, Lily…" he looked away with a slight sorrow in his eye, "...unlike your humans." He sat up before he could continue. "After the fire was extinguished, the humans in white came along to look for your family. The man was found dead, most likely from being too greatly burned. The mother was felled by a stray piece of wood. And Henry… well, this is the odd part. From what I heard, some small animal went and shredded his poor throat. At first, I thought it was a weasel or stoat, but the men there said that the markings were that of a rabbit. I mean… what kind of rabbit would be vicious enough to attack a human so violently, especially a child?"

As the animals, excluding Blackberry, Bluebell, Fiver, and Lily, were quite shocked and horrified to learn of the fate of Lily's human family, Hazel asked the large dog, "Pardon me for asking, but do you remember anything else about the fire?"

"Hmmmm… let's see…" The dog thought long and hard. "…Come to think of it… there was something, but I thought nothing of it at the time. You see, the smoke not only dulled my nose, but it blinded me in the haze. So much that I ended up getting bitten and scratched at the paws by something in the grass, forcing me to retreat back to my farm. But when I turned back around, I saw what I thought to be the largest rabbit I've ever seen, retreating into the forest. And it had some red juices on its lips." The eyes of all the animals, save for the three who knew the truth already, widened as they realized what had truly happened, recognizing the large rabbit in question.

Of course, Rascal was surprised by their shock. "What's the trouble, then? What did I-?" Suddenly, he put two and two together, realizing that the General from Lily's story oddly sounded like that same rabbit he described on the day of the fire. "Oh my goodness… Lily, I-I am so, so sorry… I don't know what you must be thinking."

Bigwig hopped over to share his sentiments to Lily. "As am I. We all know Woundwort to be a slave driver and a killer… but to do that to a young lad who saved your life… I understand if you're hurt and angry, but-"

"I'm not. At least… not as much as I felt back then. I've known that Woundwort had killed Henry. I've known of it ever since I escaped from Efrafa with Captain Holly, Blackberry, Fiver and Bluebell. And even though I will never forgive him for it… I know now if I went down the path of vengeance… I'd be no better than Woundwort." The ginger doe turned to face her friends, large and small. "I want Woundwort to pay for all his cruelty and tyranny as much as all of us do… but I also want to have it done the right way. Our way. The way of Watership Down."

The Watership Down rabbits, Hannah, Kehaar, and Rascal were awed by her speech. Bigwig was the first to speak up. "Well said, my darling. And together… we'll do it. We'll put a stop to Woundwort… together."

The rabbits, mouse, and gull voiced their agreement while Rascal merely gave her a happy pant of his lagging tongue.

Lily smiled, her heart soared with the love and support of her friends. "Thank you. All of you. I just know that when we get back home, we will-" Before she can continue, thunder from far off could be heard a long way off, as well as approaching dark clouds. "Well… I believe that is a sign that we need to move on. The rain will be coming in soon."

"And where are we gonna go? We've not enough does for digging scrapes," Hawkbit griped to his Chief Rabbit, earning him a glare from Lily and Blackberry.

Rascal thought long and hard for a moment, then his eyes lit up when something came back to him. "Come to think of it, I seem to recall overhearing some woodlanders outside the farm, letting mention of a warren somewhere around here... Oh yes, by the human cemetery just a little further down the lane from here. Last time I heard of it, there were some rabbits wandering about the area."

All of the animals gaped at him, hopefully.

"Do you know these rabbits?" inquired Hazel.

"Heavens, no! My master never allowed me to go in there because it was closed down, the poor place having been abandoned for years now," explained the St. Bernard. "However, I remember this one time my owner had taken me out for a quiet stroll when we passed the cemetery. My master was currently occupied having a tiff with the local pasty purveyor when I happened to notice a few rabbits hiding behind some of the tombstones. One of them, a buck from what I could smell, was blind, the second being a buck, he somehow appeared deaf for he never heard my approach, except his friend pulled him out of sight. I figured the poor creatures resided in such a foreboding abode, especially since I happened to catch a much stronger scent of other rabbits beyond the fence. No doubt about it, chaps. There is a warren hidden within that lonesome place."

"A warren so close to Man? Hmmmm…" Hazel wondered, thoughtfully. "It might be best to avoid it, especially if some of them are blind or deaf… Quite strange."

"Well, suppose if they're struck with the..." Bluebell stuttered before he gulped fearfully, "the _White Blindness_."

"It might explain why those two rabbits had such afflictions," added Blackberry.

Again, there were those strange unfamiliar words that she heard from Dandelion's story of the Black Rabbit of Inlé. Lily raised her eyebrow, then exchanged a puzzled frown with the dog, the gull, and the mouse. "Uhh, what is this White Blindness?"

For a moment, silence filled the air with a gloomy atmosphere, then Dandelion decided to give the ginger doe an explanation, "The White Blindness is a deadly disease carried by fleas in rabbits' ears. They pass from the ears of a sick rabbit to those of their companions. Once infected..." the blonde buck refused to continue as he noticed how scared Pipkin reacted, "well, I can't say much of the symptoms for some of our young. But know that all with the White Blindness have it for a brief _hrair_ days, until… you're finally called to the Black Rabbit himself."

Lily stared at him in brief horror. Her body trembled and her ears drew back, deeply shaken. "And how many is… is _hrair_ days?" she asked, a little confused about the word _hrair_.

"About three times you can count on your paw," Dandelion pointed out.

"You mean… _twelve_ days? You mean once you get it, a rabbit only has twelve days before…?"

While not understanding the word 'twelve', given how rabbits' numbers go only up to 'four' and anything higher is called _hrair_, Dandelion nodded, assuming she understood how deadly this disease.

"Not to worry, everyone!" boomed the voice of the St. Bernard behind them. "We canines have an exceptional olfactory sense. A proper nose much like yours, don't you know? Anyhow, those rabbits hadn't smelled of any sickness as far as I could tell. In fact, the whole area surprisingly had a strong scent of health about it."

"Well, thank Frith for _that_," sighed Bluebell, greatly relieved.

A distance shrill whistle sounded out in the distance beyond the farm, alerting the rabbits and catching Rascal's attention when his ears pricked up.

"Oh, dear! I must be on my way. My master is calling for me." Before leaving, Rascal gave Lily one last affectionate nuzzle. "Goodbye, dear lass. And good luck on your journey homeward."

"It was wonderful to see you again, Rascal." In return, Lily gave the St. Bernard a friendly lick on the nose to say farewell. "May Frith let our paths cross again."

"Yes, indeed. It was very nice to meet you," said Hazel, giving the great canine a respectful nod.

"Err, sorry for striking you earlier," Bigwig apologized, though he still felt a bit uncomfortable to speak like that to a dog.

Luckily for him, Rascal understood his reckless actions were out of concern for his mate. "All water under the bridge, dear chap. Just be sure to take care of our lass… and her kits, hmmm? Perhaps one day should I come around to this Watership Down, I might pop in for a visit, eh?"

As the animals said their goodbyes, the St. Bernard turned and bounded off for the open meadow where his master waited patiently for him. Once he arrived, the Man put a leash on his collar and led the giant dog home.

"Friends with a dog! Ha, ha! Frith in a pond." Bigwig chuckled, as he couldn't believe his group had become friends with a dog, one whom his mate had known for in her childhood. "First a pig, then a puffin, and now a dog. This is turning out quite the holiday we're having, eh Hazel?"

"Quite, Bigwig." Hazel took one look up at the sky, and he began to feel concerned as it grew darker when grey clouds loomed ahead. "We'd better get moving if we're going to find this warren in the abandoned cemetery."

While the entire group left the rebuilding construction site, Lily paused to take one last glance at what used to be her former home. Sure, it was good to see Rascal again, but the memories of all the animals and her human family stayed with her. Now it was time to set them free. Lily had a new home in Watership Down, and all of the rabbits who became her dearest friends and family. She remembered what Clover told her when Hyzenthlay found her old warren, Redstone, abandoned when the Great Sickness killed them all. The ginger doe felt a kindred spirit with Hyzenthlay, hopefully she can tell her this upon her return home. "Goodbye, everyone..." she whispered, "and thank you." And then she left.


	36. Journey to Thinial p2

To conclude the adventures of the Watership gang, the animals were greeted by Trill and Warble, who found them lolloping down the dirt path to the Stone Orchards and agreed to take a message back to Clover on Watership Down, to let their friends and family back home be aware of their safety and whereabouts, and to be patient, for they will be journeying homeward tomorrow. After the birds flew off to deliver the message, the group sauntered up to the old cemetery as they glanced cautiously up at the iron fence and the grim atmosphere of the unfamiliar landscape beyond the fence. It grew darker when the clouds blocked out the sun. The wind whistled softly, and the trees creaked at the touch of the breeze. The storm was moving closer by the second. The rabbits were growing uneasy and frightened, but Kehaar soared over the fence to scour the cemetery and search for any signs of elil or diseased creatures, if better to be safe than sorry.

Hannah remained on his back, her eyes caught sight of movement close to a huge magnificent yew tree, standing majestically over the small tombstones in the heart of the cemetery. Shining white tails, flashing like stars when a bolt of lightning exploded in the sky, scurried through an opening under the bottom of the thick trunk. There was no mistaking those fluffy tails. Hannah recognized those creatures to be rabbits. She guided Kehaar back to the outside gate, gesturing her friends that other rabbits lived there, but to venture inside with caution and care.

One at a time, the rabbits squeezed passed the smooth, creaky bars of the fence. This forbidding place was new to them, different from the burial grounds of Newton Church they once took shelter in a long time ago. The group huddled close together, for fear of separation or ambushed by elil.

As the little band journeyed deeper into the heart of the cemetery, Bluebell froze on the spot. A hole, concealed by a clump of thistles, caught his attention. He called out to Hazel, ushering him to come over. Everyone paused, as Hazel and Bigwig found him crouching over the mouth of the hole, staring at it with an uncertain and fearful expression.

"Hazel, if I'm not mistaken, this hole's been recently used and..." the blue buck's voice trembled, "I think we are being observed."

Hazel examined the hole's entrance. Just as Bluebell confirmed, he felt a fresh scrape of claws had been at work and a slight scent of rabbit in the mouth of the hole. It was still fresh in smell, by several minutes ago. Large pawprints lead a trail deep into the darkness of the hole. "You're right. Someone must be in there," he said.

Without hesitation, Bigwig was ready for the prospect of action. "Then let's find out how much trouble this rabbit is worth." He peered his face in the hole and bellowed firmly, "Oi! We know you're in there! Come on out or I'll drag you out by the ears!"

It didn't take long for them to wait, for at this moment, the group found themselves confronted by a heavy and burly doe. She was close to Cowslip's height, the color of her fur was a shade of olive green with dark pine green dipped-ears and marks around her eyes, and her eyes a dark brown hue. Her manner was almost paranoid and hostile, and behind her was another doe. The second doe looked strong and fierce, almost reminding Bigwig of himself, for he recognized the appearance and manner of a fighter when he saw one: heavily-figured and smeared with old scars from many a battle. Her fur was cream colored, not exactly white, and her eyes shone a bright red hue.

"I think it is _you_ who will be dragged out by the ears if you don't tell us who you are and what you're doing here!" The cream-colored doe snarled, baring her teeth like an angry rat. "Or would you rather I sound the alarm, so my Owsla can tear you lot to pieces!"

"_Your_ Owsla?" Bigwig repeated, puzzled.

"Yes. I am Captain Prake of the Thinial Owsla," the cream furred doe introduced herself, still hostile.

Before the doe beside Prake could speak, Fiver began to shudder when that familiar cold chill passed through his body. A vision of the past crossed his mind, a memory of a mysterious secret Vilthuril had once shared with him. He fixated a dazed stare at the burly doe, recognizing her. "Could you possibly be... are you... that is..." he stuttered, "is your name Flyairth?"

Hearing her name spoken from the mouth of this strange runt, the burly doe raised her head in surprise and her eyes grew so wide. Flyairth trembled with sudden fear. Her whole manner changed. "Who are you? How could you know my name?" she demanded.

At this shocking impiety, the Watership rabbits looked at Fiver in bewilderment. Nobody knew how on earth could Fiver know the name of this stranger.

"Have you come from our old warren?" Flyairth asked, breaking the silence.

"Our old warren is called Sandleford," Fiver explained, shaking his head.

"Well, our old warren used to be at Cottington's Hill. It was somewhere sandy on a gentle slope."

Hazel interposed, standing beside his little brother and spoke reasonably, "Let's all settle down without starting a fight. We're not from Cottington's Hill. We're from a warren in Watership Down. My friends and I came here because we're looking for shelter to get out of the oncoming storm. We don't want to quarrel with you, but naturally we're surprised to learn my brother knows about you more than us. He gets visions in his head-"

"They're lying, Flyairth-rah! Have you been to our old warren?!" Prake rudely interrupted, persisting these rabbits answer more questions. "How does your brother know my Chief's name? Are you spies from another warren?!"

"Never mind that now," Fiver spoke in a calm and soothing tone. "We just want you to know that we're not spies. I will answer all your questions about how I know you, and you can correct me if I'm wrong about anything. Okay?"

Flyairth considered this for a moment. She was not sure whether to trust these newcomers, especially if one of them, a runt, knows her name or if any of them were infected by the diseased. Nevertheless, he sounded very convincing and appeared harmless. The rest of the group never showed signs of sickness, all looking quite strong and healthy. The doe noticed one of their members was a young kitten, who shivered and grasped his mother's arm, looking very afraid. Flyairth felt sorry for the little one. Her conscience reprimanded her into grant them permission to allow them shelter in her warren. "Stand down, Prake," she relented.

"But Flyairth-rah..." protested Prake, who sounded disapproving of inviting a bunch of hlessi to their warren.

"Not another word!" Flyairth shushed her. "We will escort them to our warren."

Fuming in silence, a disdainful Prake ordered the group to follow them. Everyone grew relieved to have been given access for shelter. Flyairth even allowed Kehaar and Hannah to join them, though she couldn't help wondering why a gull and a mouse would tag along with a gang of hlessi. They followed the two does' trail across the cemetery, passing in and out between headstones. Prake and Flyairth kept ahead, their eyes and ears alert to make sure no danger was nearby.

The enormous yew tree stood before them, making the Watership rabbits feel very small compared to its gigantic size. It was much bigger than the circle of trees back at their warren, standing on an embankment overlooking the cemetery like a fortress overseeing its realm. Overgrowth plant shrubbery or vines covered the rabbit holes of the embankment, as if attempting to conceal the tunnels from sight. Dozens of does poked out of the tunnels to see what is going on. Some of them began whispering amongst each other, probably wondering why their leader invited a group of vagabonds to their warren.

Flyairth and Prake guided them to the main entrance, where two strong does flanked the open mouth of the tunnel like fierce guards. As they descended in after their guides, Hazel's band noticed how incredibly organized the warren is. Some does were cleaning out empty burrows to get rid of spiderwebs. There was no leftover rotten flayrah abandoned (not like Cowslip's warren) in any burrow. There were even able-bodied rabbits, ranging from adolescent to even the elderly, constantly running about to keep themselves fit under the direction of a couple of Owsla officers, both female, while kittens were dozing peacefully, pressed against their mothers' warm bodies.

Reaching the central chamber of the warren, the apex of the ceiling had roots intertwining and spreading out like a flower blooming at springtime. Multiple does have hopped backwards a bit to give them space, some with their mates (only a small number of bucks lived in the warren) and kittens, when the band of hlessi entered the great burrow, especially the sight of Kehaar made them cautious. The inhabitants were filled with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion when the news spread like wildfire. The Owsla and Owslafa, all does, assembled in line on Prake's orders when their Chief Rabbit passed them by to sit at the very end of the line and sternly facing the outsiders.

"I feel like we'll be prisoners in a matter of seconds." The ever-nervous Bluebell whispered in Blackberry's ear.

"We'll just have to wait and see what Fiver will do," the black-dipped eared doe replied quietly.

Sitting up straight with authority, Flyairth addressed the runt as he stepped forward, "Now, answer our questions. Who are you and how did you know of me?"

"My name is Fiver," he responded with confidence as he introduced the members of his group, "this is my brother, Hazel, the Chief Rabbit of our warren... this is Bigwig, our Captain of Owsla, his mate Lily and their adopted son, Pipkin... and our friends, Blackberry, Dandelion, Hawkbit, Silver, Bluebell, Kehaar and Hannah."

Each of the animals nodded their heads politely when Fiver said their names.

"As to your second question of how I know your name, it may sound unbelievable, but by Frith, every word I speak is the truth." Fiver began, though he turned to his elder brother. "Hazel, don't get upset, but has Hyzenthlay ever told you about the underground river in Efrafa?"

"The what?" replied Hazel, startled by this revelation.

"The underground river in Efrafa."

"No, she certainly hasn't." A baffled Hazel shared a glance with the only known members of his band whom ventured in Efrafa and made it out alive. "Lily, Bigwig, have either of you or anyone else who has been in Efrafa ever heard of this underground river? Are Holly, Aubretia or Clover aware of this as well?"

"No, and I'll be snared if I have," answered Bigwig, then he stole a tiny hint of irritation at Fiver. "I'd certainly need a season's worth of convincing that there is one at all."

"I don't exactly recall seeing an underground river during my short time there," added Bluebell.

"Neither did I," mentioned Pipkin.

"I'm afraid I've never seen or heard of one," said Blackberry.

Lily pondered this over for second, then her eyes lit up. "Come to think of it, I remember overhearing Hyzenthlay telling Thethuthinnang about a…a secret river. None of the does wanted me nor Clover to know about it. My theory is they didn't trust us back then. Probably convinced one of us is a spy." She couldn't blame them, though. After all they've been through, it was hard to trust someone you barely know with a secret. "Pray continue, Fiver."

There was a pause, as though Fiver was collecting himself to begin what he recalled. "Vilthuril told me everything about it. One night, whilst Vilthuril was asleep in her burrow, a burrow that is the furthest away from the tunnel leading up and out for silflay, she began to sense something odd. A draft was coming through the burrow wall. It wasn't warm nor cold. But something was on the other side of wall. The sound of water flowing. Vilthuril pressed her head up against the wall to listen, when the wall gave way and collapsed. She fell through, finding herself in an abandoned tunnel that had not been used for a long time, covered in webs. Vilthuril followed the trail, where she found herself in an underground chamber below the second chimney stack. It had not been used for a long time, no one knows why. Far below in the pit was the secret river. It wasn't spreading out into a pool and flooding the pit, but flowing down through an opening in the walls in a channel of its own. It was slow, but quiet and steady."

By this time, many of the tenants in the great burrow had grown interested in Fiver's story. The kittens started whispered, only to be shushed by their parents.

"Vilthuril approached the ledge and stared directly face down at the water's surface," Fiver added, "giving herself entirely up to it, letting it take possession of her. Eventually, she came to grasp that what was coming to her was a flow of knowledge: knowledge that neither she nor the Efrafans had anything involved in it. And no, Bigwig, it wasn't her imagination playing tricks on her, nor was she seeing a vision in her head like I do."

"How did you even know I was going to say that?" asked Bigwig, who readied himself to interrupt with a scoff of disbelief.

"Shh! I want to listen!" Dandelion silenced him, keenly captivated.

"This was knowledge from outside Efrafa that she was receiving," continued Fiver, "it was trying to convey something to Vilthuril. Sure enough, an image came quite clearly in the river's surface - two female rabbits alone together, who planned to leave their own warren in order to start a new one: a warren in which the does would dominate and ruled by does, and their names were Flyairth and Prake." The two does in present gaped at the runt, but neither one said a word.

"Vilthuril deduced you were both strong and confident about what you meant to do that could persuade other rabbits to join you. All because you've been undermined and overlooked by the bucks in your old warren at Cottington's Hill, especially when you discovered some of the rabbits in the warren gradually became infected by the White Blindness. Your Chief Rabbit refused to listen to your warnings, so you needed to persuade those whom are in danger or discontent in your old warren to join you. Vilthuril realized she must've stayed a long time in the underground chamber because when she finally came to, she had been found by Primrose, who was alive back then."

"She escorted her back to her burrow, where the two buried the secret tunnel to conceal it from the guards. Vilthuril told her what she discovered during silflay and wanted to tell their friends, but Primrose warned her it was dangerous to talk to anyone, figuring a spy might discover her special find and report to the Council or the Owsla. They grew frightened of what might happen if the officers found out, because the Council would surely want to stop anyone else from discovering the river, or else they'd say the does made it all up."

"Did Nettle find out?" questioned Pipkin. "I mean, she was the spy in Efrafa."

"I'll get to that soon," replied Fiver. "Anyway, Vilthuril took Primrose and Hyzenthlay, whom they told but she disbelieved it at first, to the secret river. More knowledge came to all three of them. Flyairth and Prake had succeeded in persuading many rabbits to leave their warren and journey to the Stone Orchards to escape the disease. However, their Chief Rabbit and the Owsla ambushed them and captured half of the group, viciously accusing Flyairth and Prake for inciting mutiny and tried to place them under arrest."

"That's almost similar to what happened to us," Silver whispered in Hazel's ear, as he nodded.

"Flyairth and Prake convinced their group to rebel and fight against the Owsla, barely managing to get away with their lives. Not long after, the rabbits in Cottington's Hill succumbed to the Blindness and perished. Despite a long and dangerous journey, they established their warren in the Stone Orchards - Thinial, as they called it. The bucks are content under the rule of does. After all, it was Flyairth's leadership and Prake's courage that brought them here." Fiver's words made Flyairth smile proudly, and Prake just shrugged like it was no big deal. "Our Owsla of does was trained well, with only the cleverest rabbits to be found and none with any intent to abuse their authority."

"My kind of Owsla." Bigwig quietly smirked in amazement.

"Several of the does bore litters of their own with bucks whom they chose, or were rather fond of, and mated with them. Flyairth had a litter of three with a buck called Spindle. Meanwhile, Vilthuril and her friends received nothing else for a long time, unaware that Thinial was flourishing in prosperity. But Hyzenthlay feared that somehow or other, General Woundwort would find out. One night, Vilthuril couldn't sleep when she found herself caught up in a violent mist of confusion and turmoil. She had a terrible vision of what she will learn in the river's knowledge, the White Blindness."

Mentioning this infamous disease caused many rabbits in the great hall to mumble in quiet terror. Kittens scrambled underneath their mothers' legs. Flyairth's body posture twitched uncomfortably, but she never breathed a word. Prake's posture stiffened, her eyes fixed a hard look at the runt.

Nevertheless, Fiver kept on with his mate's tale. "It was around the time Thethuthinnang got involved in their secret meeting with the underground river, in order to understand what the meaning of my vision meant. They first assumed the Blindness was coming down the river to infect them, but the mere knowledge of it dominated everything else and turning it into incomprehensible turbulence was frightening enough for Vilthuril and her three companions. Flyairth was exploring outside her warren when she had come upon a hlessi, lurching about and infected by the Blindness. Horrified, she kept away from him. He was approaching Thinial on his own accord. At the last moment, Flyairth ordered her Owsla to drive him out. She told Prake and her Owsla of her fear, and they agreed that everything possible must be done to keep diseased rabbits out of the warren, whether they have the Blindness or not-"

"STOP!" Flyairth bellowed, her sharp voice reverberated in the great hall as everyone instantly turned their attention to her.

"But I'm not done yet-" Fiver protested.

"I think you've said enough." Prake scowled.

"No, it's alright," interrupted Flyairth, before she took a deep breath and exhaled softly. "Every word you speak is the truth, Fiver. I can tell you more, so you can say nothing else... my mate, Spindle, died at the claws of an owl. But I raised my children well, though I couldn't have done it without Prake's support. Ever since we left our home warren, we wanted to prevent the tragedy that our old home endured. Why, we even made our own inside garden, for herbs and roots for my people. Our desire is to learn how to use healing plants to treat any illness, so that we can improve our health, such as using a set of rules for our benefit, from what foods we can eat to how to prevent disease from occurring and so forth. It is for these reasons and more than, as well as their Chief Rabbit, I am known to all here as the 'Matron Healer of Thinial'."

"That's remarkable!" Blackberry praised, impressed with this doe's knowledge of healing rabbits. "I'm a bit of a novice healer myself. Perhaps you could show me this garden of yours? I'd love to see about starting something like that in our warren. With all the scrapes some of our bucks get into, a herb garden in our own warren would be most helpful."

"Oh, really?" This sparked Flyairth's interest as she gave a little smile at the doe, looking at the inquisitive doe as a potential protégé. "Then it would be my pleasure to show you our works. Perhaps even, during your stay here… I could teach you a few tricks of our trade, one healer to another."

"Err, Fiver..." Pipkin inquired, "what of Nettle? Did she ever inform Orchis of the secret river?"

"I'm afraid so," Fiver hesitated, looking grim. "News of this underground river with incredible knowledge traveled fast amongst the does. Unfortunately, Nettle was picked to be Orchis' spy around the time, so she told him all about Flyairth and the river. The Efrafans determined the does remain clueless about the outside world. If the story of this secret river made them wiser, it could pose as a threat for General Woundwort if the does rebelled. He made plans to use the river's knowledge for himself, ordering his Owsla to relocate the does in burrows much farther away from the river, along with a cruel punishment. And guess what? The Owsla had never found the underground river. Even though the tunnel is located within Vilthuril's burrow, my clever mate sealed it up perfectly to make the digging so impossible to get in. Woundwort grew convinced that Nettle deliberately lied to waste the Owsla's time. The secret river was safe, but the cruel punishment Nettle was forced to endure alone was..." he gulped, "being raped by Orchis."

A chorus of horrified gasps erupted within the great hall.

"Nettle was forced to make up an excuse so not to raise suspicion for Hyzenthlay and the does. Vilthuril confined in me on one more thing - she was the only doe who knew Nettle was a spy and witnessed the rape herself through the secret river."

"Awful..." Prake mumbled in dread.

"Hold on!" A suspicious Bigwig cut in, raising his paw as he glared at Flyairth. "If you drive out strangers whether they have the Blindness or not, why did you grant us entry?"

"It was your friend, Fiver, and his visions that convinced me." As Flyairth spoke, she nodded approvingly at the runt. "We have never met a true Mystic before in our lives. Those with the Farsight of Frith are very rare in our ancient history."

Bigwig cast a bitter scowl in silence, his anger rising at all this information that Fiver had been sharing in secret with Vilthuril when those two seers could have told them. Fiver grew aware of this, especially the scorning frowns his friends gazed at him, except Lily and Pipkin. Even the gentle Blackberry now felt disappointed.

"Why didn't you or Vilthuril tell us about all this?" Bigwig questioned, sounding upset.

"You wouldn't have believed either of us," Fiver explained, desperately. "And neither would Hyzenthlay or the does if Vilthuril told them Nettle was the one who betrayed their plans to escape... especially when Orchis plotted to frame Vilthuril as a spy if she did try to expose Nettle."

To prevent what came close to become an argument of drama, Flyairth stood tall with authority and raised his paw in the air. "QUIET!" she yelled uncharacteristically. For a moment, one would mistake her anger to be that of Woundwort's, before she regained her composure and cleared her throat, putting on her motherly disposition. "It is understandable that there is some tension, given how far you are from your own warren. And, given that your intentions are peaceful and that you have young with you, it is my duty to welcome you to Thinial and allow you to stay here as much as you need to before carrying on." She then turned to Prake. "Would you kindly escort these rabbits to some spare burrows we have? I am certain they could use the rest for tonight."

To that, Prake widened her eyes before looking to her Chief Rabbit. Before she could retort, Flyairth shot her a hard look, like a strict mother would a disobedient child. One that seemed to immediately supplant any anger she bore with reluctant obedience. "…As you wish, my Matron."

"Very good." The Chief doe then turned back to Hazel and his band. "If you or yours have any questions or concerns, address them to me, or my offspring, or to Prake and we will do what we can to satisfy your inquiries."

"Well thank you, Flyairth," Hazel replied as the submissive Captain of Owsla led him and his friends out of the gathering place, before the other rabbits of Thinial disperse, resuming their scheduled routines and leaving Flyairth alone with her thoughts.

"This is an interesting turn, isn't it? Once, my former Chief would have thought nothing to keep our warren alive if it meant a threat to his position as leader. But he had to pay the price for it with his life…along with the others who dared ignored my warnings. But this Hazel, these rabbits…I can tell these are rabbits who will not ignore my wisdom and experience. If I could give them my guidance to take back with them to their warren, it will be enough so that we may continue to go on, like our ancestors intended: living wild and free…and far away from our true enemy. The true source of all death and disease in the world…" As she spoke, her voice was mellifluous before slowly becoming impassioned with ambition as her purple eyes sharpened with a hatred in her eyes. "…_Man_."


	37. Journey to Thinial p3

A groaning Fiver tossed and turned in his sleep, feeling that dreadfully familiar cold chill run through his body. His visions felt like torture to him, despite saving his friends' lives in the past such as Sandleford's destruction. But this vision was not like the ones he had seen before.

No, it was not that baffling image of long coils of rope shooting out of the darkness. He saw a rabbit, a buck most likely, infected with the White Blindness and mating with a very pretty doe. The mating ritual suffered a dire consequence when the pretty doe's eyes turned a puffy white as two rivers of blood trickled out from her eyes and down her cheeks, terrifying Fiver. Another doe's voice rang out in a very sharp tone, _"Milmown must be exiled!" _It belonged to Flyairth. Blurred images of the Thinial Owsla driving Milmown, the pretty doe whom mated with the sick buck as Fiver correctly deduced, out of their warren rushed past him in slow motion. Fiver tried in vain to search for Milmown, wondering what became of her or if she perished by the great sickness.

Suddenly, a strange movement came from within the bowels of a nearby hidden burrow, greatly concealed by tall clumps of grass. Cautiously, Fiver approached the burrow. It was hard to see as a result of the darkness, but he could scarcely make out Milmown's face as she cared for a newborn litter of kittens. Fiver was amazed to see the doe had lived long enough to give birth. _"Help us!"_ cried a familiar female voice, in desperate need of rescue. Fiver whirled around and there stood Prake and her Owsla hurriedly burying huge piles of dirt inside an open grave, where a small bunch of rabbits frantically scrambled against the wall in attempt to get out as piles of earth clambered down all around them, reaching up to their necks. To his horror, these rabbits were being buried alive by Thinial's Owsla, who showed no remorse nor concern for their actions.

"**NO!**" Fiver screamed, his eyes snapped open and he woke with a yell. He looked around, realizing he was still lying in a bed of leaves in one of the burrows he shared alongside Hazel, awoken by his brother's cry.

"Fiver, what's the matter?" Hazel asked, concerned.

"I... oh, Hazel..." Fiver gasped, still frightened by what he had seen in his mind. "It was terrible, I saw-"

"What did you see, little brother?"

Before Fiver could confine in his elder brother of his vision, another rabbit entered their burrow abruptly. A doe with a shade of light green fur kept well-groomed and pale brown eyes. Her appearance greatly surprised the two brothers, yet she greeted them with a genuine smile. She had a little resemblance to Flyairth, except for no faint dark pine green marks around her eyes and no tipped ears. Much younger and very lovely.

"Good morning. I trust you had a good night's sleep," she said, bowing politely. "My name is Juniper, and my mother assigned me with a job to give you a tour of the warren. That is, if you want to go silflay first."

After a brief pause, Hazel responded, "Uhh, yes. We'd be delighted for a tour, but silflay sound like a good idea."

"Come along, then." Juniper happily bounded off.

Hazel gave his brother a shrug, then followed the green colored doe. Fiver limped behind, still shaken by that dreaded vision. Juniper lead them through a tunnel that brought them outside the warren where, to the brothers' astonishment, the warren's inhabitants were nibbling on not just grass but plants or flowers carried out by the does, proudly proclaiming they were freshly picked and ready to be eaten. Wild pansies of multiple colors, golden clumps of dandelions, twigs of red hawthorn berries, and white chamomile flowers with their little yellow centers. Hazel's group had been awoken upon request to join Flyairth's rabbits for morning silflay.

"Where did they get those berries and flowers?" Hazel inquired, curiously.

"From our garden. We grow them inside a specially made burrow that is close to a nearby river," Juniper explained, proudly. "I can show you after silflay."

Hazel and Fiver agreed, then decided to join their companions in nibbling on the plants or berries Flyairth's rabbits left in a pile for others to take and eat. Never having eaten hawthorn berries or chamomile flowers before, the brothers found them to be delicious. Some of the members in Hazel's band ate these said plants or berries, others chewed on grass like they'd normally do. Kehaar just sat calmly, pecking at worms emerging from the wet soil. Hannah was trying to get acquainted with the warren's kittens, whom stared at her with great curiosity, only for their mothers to pull them aside, rather abruptly.

"Is that you, Hazel?" Flyairth's head raised up, sensing their approach and greeted them. "Good morning to you. And to you as well, Fiver. We're glad you could join us."

"Thank you." Hazel nodded, and although Fiver made no response he merely nodded. "We're glad to be out of the bad weather last night. How are you this morning?"

"Very well, thank you." Flyairth replied, smiling. "I trust you met my daughter, Juniper. She volunteered to give you a tour, whilst I coach Blackberry and Lily in their training." Then she gestured to a pair of two alabaster grey does, twins most likely, as they took their place close to Juniper. "These are my two other daughters, Azalea..." the doe with dark grey dipped ears bowed low, "and Orchid..." the second doe with faint grey marks around her eyes bowed low, "They will see to your companions' wants and needs until you are fit to return home."

"Well, thank you very much." Hazel was most impressed by the chief rabbit's attempt to make him and his friends feel most welcome and right at home.

"Must we have to leave so soon?" Hawkbit complained, slightly distressed. "I like this place a lot, and it's got so many does. Hopefully, I may find myself a nice doe for a mate."

"Me, too." Dandelion agreed. "Everyone here is quite neighborly, the warren's all intact, and it's got good-enough food. Though, perhaps we might go out ourselves and find some flayrah to-"

"We do not allow flayrah in our warren!" Prake's sharp voice cut him off with stern authority, much to his shock, before the chief rabbit cleared her throat to restrain her captain's remark.

"What my Captain _meant_ to say is..." Flyairth began, "that it is grown by Man, and our health comes first. Even though it is considered a rare treat for rabbits, we must make small sacrifices if it means a longer life. The roots and herbs you have recently eaten, along with the grass you've just eaten, these are the only average meal at Thinial."

Every doe or buck in the warren voiced their agreements, much to the displeasure and chagrin of certain bucks in Hazel's band.

To put an end to their complaints, Lily decided to change the subject. "So, uh, Flyairth... have we ever told you about our liberating imprisoned does from the dictatorship of Efrafa?"

"Of course not, but Fiver mentioned it yesterday when explaining the power of this secret river," said Flyairth, shaking her head, though her interest was piqued. "These Efrafan rabbits - they'd beat their does and rape them for breeding. And if this General Woundwort is just as dangerous as you described, how did you get away from him?"

"With Kehaar's help, of course." Pipkin gestured his paw out to the gull, who raised his head at the mention of his name. "He terrified them, drove them off, when the Efrafans had my friends cornered. However, Lily and Clover had been abducted by the Efrafans whilst out searching for Hazel after he got shot by the Farmer when liberating-"

"You were shot by a Man?!" Flyairth fixed a horrified gaze at the Chief of Watership Down.

"Only in the hind leg." Hazel stretched his left hind leg out for her to see, the wound had healed long ago but the scar was still there. "My friends and I were liberating hutch rabbits to join our warren, mostly because we needed more does to avoid bloodshed and quarrel between rivals. Clover, one of the hutch-does, I fell in love with her and longed to free her. Two of her companions were freed alongside her, only two others had been recaptured. If not for me, Clover might have been shot by the Farmer. Fiver's vision helped find my location when I took shelter in a hole, although Lily and Clover assisted in my search, they were captured by the Efrafan Owsla."

"And I determined to go undercover to rescue my beloved doe and Hazel's precious mate from the claws of those wicked Efrafans," Bigwig continued, trying to imitate himself as a storyteller to impress his host. "I used my birth name, Thlayli, and posed myself as a wandering warrior looking for a warren to appreciate my talents. The treatment of those poor does to be used a sex slaves was so cruel, especially how they ripped Blackavar's ears to shreds when he rebelled against the soldiers, it broke my heart..."

Bigwig's cheeks turned a shade of red as he continued, "Course, when I reunited with Lily, we mated in secret and shared our secrets of escape. Except for one problem; Nettle had deliberately ruined our first escape attempt because she was a spy. I was chosen to execute Hyzenthlay under a pylon, but she tricked Nettle to give false information of another break out. I didn't kill her, as it wasn't in my heart to do. It would've devastated Holly, her mate, and the does for they look up to her as their leader. I spared her, liberated Blackavar and lead the does out of Efrafa when the guards fell for Nettle's false news. We left her behind without a shred of forgiveness, even when Nettle pleaded that Orchis threatened to hurt the does if she didn't cooperate. We reunited with Hazel's group under a giant bridge, only to be caught by Woundwort and the Efrafans. Kehaar swooped down out of nowhere and attacked the Efrafans, allowing us to get on a boat we used to escape down river. The only downfall is Nettle redeeming herself by stopping Woundwort from pursuing us, which ended her life too fast."

Thinial's inhabitants listened carefully to this story. Of all the rabbits filled with admiration, Flyairth was the most impressed.

"That is _quite_ remarkable," she praised. "It must have taken great courage to risk your lives."

"It sounds romantic," Juniper complimented, deeply touched by Hazel and Bigwig's devotion to their mates.

"Hold on!" Prake interrupted, staring at Hazel with a neutral frown. "You liberated hutch rabbits to join your warren? And you mated with this…this Clover?"

"Yes, we had to." Hazel responded, somewhat puzzled by the Captain's rude behavior.

"Did it not occur to you that these hutch rabbits might be infected by the Blindness? Men could destroy you all by giving a hutch rabbit the Blindness, then pass it down to your warren!"

Appalled, Hazel grew offended by this atrocious accusation. He stood up on all four legs as his dark expression scorned. "How dare you speak of such things about Clover! None of the hutch rabbits we rescued were infected by the Blindness! They were rescued back a season ago, and none of us had been sick since! So, what proof have you got that rabbits raised in a hutch could infect a warren? If you're trying to get a rise out of me-"

Suddenly a harsh foot stomp set the warren's inhabitants on high alert as a female officer came rushing over and shouting, "Flyairth-rah! Come look, there's something you need to see!"

"What is it?" Flyairth asked. "What's the matter?"

"I found a Man..." the officer reported as she panted, "he lies beyond the Gnarled Border, but he-"

At that one word, the Thinial rabbits panicked and scurried back inside the open tunnels, carrying their youngsters by the scruff of their necks, including their newly picked plants. Hazel's band scampered behind to join them. Kehaar got hilariously stampeded by the rabbits, before he crawled back inside the warren with Hannah in tow. However, Lily felt there was something else in the officer's message that wasn't finished.

"Excuse me?" The doe politely questioned the Owsla officer. "But did you see if the Man had a gun, a snare or a dog with him?"

"No, miss. I heard a horrid cry and went to investigate," the officer replied. "He lies very still on the ground beyond, but it is best not to approach him." And she left, hurriedly.

_Since when do rabbits panic when the Man has not brought a weapon or elil to kill the rabbits?_ Lily thought. Puzzled, she decided to go investigate but she needed her friends' assistance. She found Bluebell and Hazel, asking for their company to investigate the matter. At first, they refused in fear a trap may have been set up. Lily understood this, but she determined to get to the bottom of this, so they agreed if Bigwig could join them, as he never let his mate out of his sight.

Against the Owsla's orders, the four rabbits ventured out of the warren to investigate. Only Flyairth accompanied them, half angry at their disobedience and half concerned for their well-being. The group crept to the borderline of the cemetery, approaching the iron gate cautiously. They were a short distance away when Bigwig halted sharply.

"On the path, look! Something black and quite large," the lion buck pointed it out to them. "Can you see it?"

Hazel hopped a little nearer, peering ahead at this strange object his Owsla Captain had spotted. Something large and black stood over a tall form that lay stretched out on the dirt path, making strange cawing noises that felt dreadfully familiar to him. "Yes, I can see it. But surely it can't be what I think it is."

"Then why does it sound like a corvil?" Bluebell trembled, probably flashbacking to that horrifying night he and his group spent in the graveyard a season ago.

"No, it's too large to be a corvil..." Hazel said. "I don't think it's seen us, nor do I think the creature lying before it is alive at all."

"Do you think it's a trap?"

"I don't believe it's a trap. Still, whatever it is, we need to get a closer look."

The group approached forward meter by meter to a thick bush of nettles and brambles, Flyairth following them somewhat hesitantly, until suddenly they halted in their tracks. What they had discovered, they were unable to believe the sight before their eyes. Lying on the path, lifeless in the sunlight and surrounded by huge black birds, lay a man. He was on his back and fully clothed, boots and woolen cap still on him. From the scuffled trail he left, they could see that the human had been attacked a short distance from the footpath, causing him to run blindly into the cemetery in order to escape, only to fail. His skull had been cracked by a violent blow to the head, most likely when he fell and lost his balance, the skull had hit a nearby bloodied headstone. His eyeballs had been pecked out, leaving bloodied black holes in his head, done with vicious claws or beaks. His face looked distorted, screwed up with the most horrible look of fear and terror. His killers surrounded him with savage delight, pecking at his face and clothes. Ravens, they were, yet larger than any ravens that Hazel's group have ever seen.

"Frith and Inlé!" Bluebell gasped, never in his life did he see such a gruesome sight.

"Those ravens killed the Man?" Lily gawked, correctly figuring it out.

"Let him alone." Bigwig's paw brushed over her own, trying to ease her shock. "I don't care whether he's dead or not, or whether the ravens killed him or not."

Flyairth, who was plainly frightened, remained alert in case the Man came to life and attempted to make an attack. "Hadn't we better go back and warn everyone? It must be dangerous, surely? Men - even a dead one like this - they're always dangerous."

"No, no, it's alright," assured Bigwig, growing impatient. "He won't attack us since he's dead."

"Wait, look!" Hazel's ears cocked up. "A hrududu is coming here! Do you see it?"

As the rabbits peered from the mouth of their hiding spot, the vehicle bounced and skidding up the road toward the iron bars. The car reached the entrance of the cemetery, slithering to a halt a few yards away. Two men exited the car and used a key to unlock the gates that kept them out of the cemetery. The ravens, alarmed by their presence, took to the sky and abandoning the scene of their crime, but not before one of the ravens whispered with a sneer, "The Queen of Darkhaven will be impressed with us."

Flyairth, trembling, turned and would have bolted back to her warren if Lily had not restrained her, despite the chief doe being larger than her. She had to ask for Bigwig's assistance in the end to hold Flyairth down.

"Stop it! We're not in danger!" scolded Lily, trying to calm the scared chief rabbit. "Pull yourself together, Flyairth! This is not the time to go tharn!"

"The Men, they have come to-" Flyairth croaked, her legs kicking ang plunging to free herself.

"It's because of the dead man lying in the ground! They've come for him, that's what it is."

"How would you know that?"

Nobody answered the question for their attention kept sorely focused on the two men examining the body, reacting in disgust or horror. After recollecting themselves for a moment, one of the men spoke to his partner.

"Get his shoulders, David! I'll carry his legs."

"Do you think he still has a chance to live, Alan?" asked the second man whom is called David.

"I don't think so. Let's get him into the jeep first, then we take him to the police."

The two men managed to lift their heavy burden and carried him out of the cemetery, hauling him into the jeep. Catching his breath, David locked the cemetery gate, then boarded the car with his alley as he spoke, "Not too fast going back, Alan. I want to examine him a bit."

The hrududu started up again, then set off in the opposite direction from which it had come, and the silence returned. It was a considerable time however, before the rabbits decided to return to the warren. Flyairth was staggering and could hardly keep up. It was the encouragement of Lily that she was able to reach a concealed tunnel beneath the yew tree that took them to the great chamber, where the first rabbit they came upon was Fiver.

"Everything all right out there, Hazel?" the runt asked his elder brother.

"Yes, we're fine," Hazel calmly assured him. "We found a dead man at the borderline of the Stone Orchards. It appears a flock of ravens had killed him, then two more humans came to take away the body. The ravens left as soon as the men came."

"Did you say ravens had killed a human?!" Juniper's head poked out of a burrow close by. "How did they do it?"

"His eyeballs had been ripped out by the ravens," Lily explained, though her face scrunched by the gory memory. "His skull broke upon impact on a headstone when he fell during the attack. Though, why the ravens attacked him I have no idea. They only attack to defend their nests. Are there any ravens living around here?"

"There are no ravens living amongst the Stone Orchards, thank Frith." Juniper noticed her mother's nervous and restless posture, feeling a tad bit concerned for her. "What's wrong with my mother?"

"I think Flyairth is in shock over the dead Man's missing eyes," Lily assumed.

"Do you need anything, Mother?"

Hearing her daughter's voice, Flyairth gradually relaxed and approached her daughter to nuzzle her forehead. "It's nothing to worry about, my child. Though, I need to speak to Prake to spread the word of what we've seen." Flyairth turned to Lily, remembering how the ginger doe had prevented her from giving away their hiding spot when the ravens and men had come, and her soothing words to guide her back home safely. "Thank you."

"Your welcome." Lily nodded, relieved the chief rabbit recovered.

"Juniper, why don't you continue with your tour for our guests to take their minds off today's recent events?"

"Yes, Mother."

After the elder doe had left, Juniper brought Lily and her companions (later joined by the rest of Hazel's band) to another chamber. It was much bigger than the great hall. A spring, a rabbit-made spring or irrigation that had been built to connect to what they heard to be a distance river. The chamber had a few small holes left open in the ceiling, the light of the sun peered through to allow multiple herbs to grow, while a few others would grow in the shade. The rest of the ceiling was ripened with more roots or plants above for easy picking. Many herbs, flowers, and berries grew on either vines attached to the wall and ceiling or on the ground. The floor was blanketed with green parsley, thyme, laurel, burdock and overgrown with white chamomile, golden dandelions or buttercups, pink or white valerian, multi-colored primroses. Above them on the ceiling grew never ending vines of wild pansies, dusty white sage leaves with purplish blue petals, bright yellow witch hazel flowers, red hawthorn berries, black or orange buckthorn berries, shrubbery of tiny laurustinus buds or spiky hedge-like lavender.

"Welcome to the Garden of Life, the heart and pride of Thinial!" Juniper announced, proudly.

The Watership band gazed at the secret garden in silent incredible astonishment.

"Oh my!" Blackberry awed.

"How incredible." Pipkin said.

"It's a…veritable…wonderful…paradise!" Dandelion admitted.

"I've never seen anything like it." Silver was amazed.

"It's beautiful!" Lily praised.

Even Bluebell loved it, feeling much better after today's bloody discovery of the Man's corpse had been put out of his mind. Hawkbit wanted to take a bite out of one of the green plants, only to get his nose swatted, rather lightly, by Juniper, who scolded him that it is not for eating unless there's an emergency.

"I'd just knew you'd loved it. We're very proud to have it." Juniper smiled at their impressed reactions, glad to see her guests loved their first view of the garden. "You know, even though this garden belongs to the warren, this place is actually my mother's personal project. When she brought the survivors from Cottington's Hill, she was at first depressed that there was not much life to be found to build a new warren on. But when she found the river beneath our warren, she wanted to make a place that could survive and even flourish even in this desolate place. Every chance she would get, she would come here to tend to the plants here…like they were her own kits."

As Juniper spoke, her initial pride and excitement slowly became a slight longing mixed with a light jealousy. "Though to be honest, sometimes I wonder…even after having me and my sisters…if she loved this garden more than us, given that she spends more time in here than with her own family."

"You know, Hazel, we should try to recreate something like this back home," Bigwig suggested, sniffing at a cluster of red primroses while wanting to change the subject.

"Perhaps, but it might take a long time to create such a garden," replied Hazel.

"Oh, it wouldn't take that long." Juniper shrugged like it was no big deal. "You said you had a river beneath your warren like ours, yes?"

"Well, yes, but the distance between it and the warren is quite a trek to make," Hazel replied, "unlike here where the river and the warren are much closer together."

"Doesn't matter. I can show you a few tricks my mother showed me on bringing water from the river to the garden. I can even teach you all how to grow herbs, if you'd like!" Juniper's perky face moved up in Hazel's own face, mildly startling him.

"Uh, thank you, but Blackberry and Lily are the students you need to teach."

"Oh yes, I'd like to learn how to create something like this!" Lily added, eager to do it.

"Me, too." Blackberry added.

Still sore about the swat on his nose, Hawkbit massaged his nose gently as he grumbled, "Eh! It's not every day an outspoken doe and a former hutch rabbit want to become healing matrons like Flyairth."

Juniper's face twitched in puzzlement. "Former hutch rabbit?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you and your mother. I was born in a hutch and lived with humans on a farm," Lily explained. "Except a few seasons ago my home burned down, the humans were brutally murdered by General Woundwort. He destroyed my home due to living sort of close to Efrafa and... are you okay, Juniper?"

This revelation made Juniper grow uneasy. At first, the rabbits feared she had gone tharn, until the green colored doe was brought back to earth by Blackberry's poking her arm. "Err, I'm fine. I just... I had no idea you used to be a-"

"If this is because of what Prake said about hutch rabbits infected by the Blindness, I will not hear of such a thing!" Bigwig growled, his mind reeling back to early morning when Prake insulted Hazel's mate and her prejudice against hutch rabbits. "My Lily is as healthy as your lot! She joined our band long before we made a home at Watership Down. If Prake's got a problem with hutch rabbits, then it's her loss!"

"Of course," Juniper nodded before looking away sadly. "I'm sorry for what Prake said this morning. Some rabbits here can be paranoid when it comes to humans."

"I guess that explains Flyairth's behavior when we found the dead Man and those two humans who came here," Hazel figured, then brushed it off like the matter was resolved. "No worries, she'll get over it."

"I doubt it," Fiver's voice whispered in barely a hush.

"Pardon?" Hazel cocked his head down in his direction, not sure if he heard him.

"Oh, nothing."

To change the subject, Juniper put on an awkward grin and wanted to resume the tour. The rabbits wandered around the garden, although Fiver was the only one who did not fail to notice Juniper's anxious or fearful expression. If Prake and Flyairth had a terrible aversion to humans or hutch rabbits connected to humans, this warren might not be a safe place for his friends at all.


	38. Journey to Thinial p4

Fiver sat outside the warren by his lonesome keeping a little distance away from the great yew tree. He refused to socialize with the other rabbits of Thinial, troubled by that dreadful vision in his dreams last night and Prake's prejudice against hutch rabbits. What could drive Prake to bury innocent rabbits in the depts of a man's grave in such a cruel manner? Were they hutch rabbits too? And who is this mysterious Milmown? Why did she mate with a buck infected by the White Blindness? Is there a chance she's still alive, even after giving birth to a litter? If so, where could she be? Something is wrong here in Thinial. Fiver knew had had to get to the bottom of this, but what could he do.

Just then, little Pipkin came bounding out of a hole searching for him. Lily trailed behind him, with a puzzled look on her face. She had a wonderful time with Blackberry under their training to become Healing Matrons themselves. Juniper proved to be an excellent teacher, however, her mood toward Lily ever since finding out the lass used to be a hutch rabbit had changed. Juniper still maintained a cheerful personality, but there was a hint of uneasiness in her eyes. Lily retold it to Blackberry when their teacher granted permission for her students to take a break. Blackberry just assured her that Juniper is probably trying to get used to her. This didn't convince Lily. During her break, the mother and her kit found Fiver huddled close to a tombstone, both exchanging concerned faces.

"Where have you been, Fiver? Are you sick or injured?" Pipkin inquired.

"No, I'm fine. But someone had to stand watch," Fiver shuddered.

"For what?"

"I don't know, but it's here. All around us. We must go home."

"I don't think Hawkbit, Dandelion and Bluebell want to leave. They're desperately trying to court some of the does here, although I can't say the same for Blackberry. She continuously rejects Bluebell a couple of times and no buck here caught her interest."

"Is there something wrong, Fiver?" Lily asked worriedly, then her expression frowned. "Is this because of Prake? Because she has no right to speak ill of hutch rabbits!"

"It's not just Prake. It's this whole warren. The rabbits may all seem healthy and happy, but..." Fiver hesitated grimly, "they smell like barley rained on and left to rot in the fields. They smell like a wounded mole that can't get underground. There's a sadness and evil in that place. It's all wrong. Not like Cowslip's warren, but still...I don't know. I just…I can't explain it."

"I think I know what you mean, Fiver." Pipkin thought for a moment, remembering a minor incident with the warren's young inhabitants. "I got along really well with some of the kits in the warren early this morning, but now their parents instantly forbid any contact with me. I was so hurt that I tried to ask them why, but they didn't seem to care about me. They gawked at me like I was a plague."

Lily was shocked by the inhabitants' apparent callousness to her son's feelings. "How can the parents raise their kits to behave so abominably? It's insane!"

"And that's not all," Pipkin continued further on as grief frown crossed his face, "remember during silflay this morning when Hannah tried interacting with some of those kittens? Well, Hannah told me how she was just telling them about her life on the farm, until the kits' mothers hauled them aside and forbid any communication with her. I don't understand why they're behaving so rudely to me and Hannah now! We never did anything wrong!"

While embracing her son who was in need of solace, Lily radiated a cold fury in silence as she tried to figure out the reason for the discourteous attitude of Thinial's rabbits: Prake has an unpleasant aversion to hutch rabbits simply because she believed living amongst humans might infect rabbits with the White Blindness. Flyairth's panicked agitation upon their discovery of the dead human, especially when two more Men came to carry the body away. Pipkin's news had just dropped on her as the Watership gang were getting aquatinted with Juniper and the others. What is the mystery behind all of this? Oh, how she desired to slash those nasty parents for teaching their children to persistently shun her child and her mousy companion like that.

"You may be right, Fiver. We shouldn't stay here any longer. Shouldn't we try telling Hazel and the others?" Pipkin suggested.

"I'm willing to try, but we need proof first," Lily spoke at last, her scorn never left her face. "Remember that time in Cowslip's warren? The others gave you a bad time, probably after we fought so many dangers, they were willing to trust a stranger who took advantage of them. We had no proof of it until Bigwig stuck his neck in a snare. Do you think there are snares around here somewhere?"

"I don't believe so." Fiver shook his head, then something caught his attention. "Hey, isn't that Juniper?"

They turned and noticed the green doe quietly slipping out of a tunnel behind the giant tree. She cautiously made doubly sure there was nobody else close by, before she lolloped out of the tunnel carrying a huge mouthful of thyme and laurel. Juniper bounded off toward a different area of the Stone Orchards as fast as she could go.

"Where is she going?" Pipkin wondered, curious about the doe's behavior.

"I don't know, but I think it's time we get to the bottom of this." Fiver stood up with confidence and lolloped after the suspicious doe, his two allies trailed behind him.

The sun had vanished behind passing white clouds, signaling the approach of another rainstorm, but it gave the atmosphere a grim touch for the trio as they trudged through the cemetery, keeping themselves at a distance so not to get caught. Whatever Juniper was up to, it had to be connected to the occupants' indifference toward them. If it was anything dangerous, they were to leave as soon as possible. They stumbled upon a lonely crypt, encompassed by several headstones and a few trees, where Juniper proceeded to the entrance and used her paws to rat-a-tap-tap against the metal door. It creaked eerily when it opened from the inside. Lily was secretly impressed a rabbit can use a secret knock, but this is no time for admiration. She and her friends determined to gain some answers whether Juniper will confess or not.

"JUNIPER!" Fiver shouted, the tone of his voice filled with commanding authority.

Juniper sprang up with a sharp gasp of her breath and stared, livid and trembling, before them. A shade of white masked her green furry face. Her eyes full of horror as she felt herself cornered against the door like a helpless prey trapped by a hungry predator.

"What are you doing, Juniper?" Fiver demanded, his eyes narrowed.

"N-Nothing! I was just err... checking the area for elil." The green doe stuttered for an excuse, the plants fell from her mouth when she spoke.

"Don't lie to us!" Lily scolded, sternly. "The residents of your warren have treated us with hospitality first, and now my son and Hannah were treated unfairly for no reason! Not to mention you have been acting strange lately! All because I once lived the life of a hutch rabbit! Now, explain yourself!"

Juniper looked at them in a helpless way as she miserably crouched low, but her eyes shut tight as she grew defiant. "It is my business, not yours."

"Then you're involved in some dark plot against me and my companions!" Lily accused, growing angrier by the second.

Suddenly a ghostly booming voice intoned out of the darkness behind the open door, "**YOU DARE ACCUSE MY DARLING OF SUCH LIES?!**" Slowly emerging from the shadow, the pale face of a rabbit glided into a shaft of light. His cloudy eyes shone with venom at the trespassers.

Fiver, Lily and Pipkin stood aghast at the sight before them. Was this rabbit a specter? Is Juniper conspiring with a phantom sent by the Black Rabbit of Inle to kill them all? The trio started to panic, tumbling and bumping into each other in their haste to escape from this ghastly apparition.

"**GHOST!**" The trio screamed in terror.

"No, no! He's not a ghost!" Juniper rushed forward as she waved her paws frantically, trying to ease their stricken minds.

"It appears our secret is out," groaned the ghostly face of the rabbit, dismayed at the revelation. "We have to leave this place, Juniper. This is the end of it."

"Oh, Dogwood, don't speak of such things!" Juniper wailed. "I had no idea I was being followed, and these rabbits don't belong in my warren! They're from another warren!"

Lily's head cocked up, her eyes confused. "Did you just call that ghost Dogwood?"

"Yes, and for your information, he is not a ghost! He's a real rabbit."

The trio from Watership Down had calmed down at last, realization dawned upon them when they grasped on reality. The pale face of the rabbit called Dogwood emerged gradually out of the darkness, and they could see he was indeed a creature of flesh and blood. His height the same as Hazel, the color of his fur is yellowish white, and his eyes were milky white. Dogwood was blind, yet his dark thin pupils could still be seen and he fixed a hard look at the newcomers, fully aware of their presence which surprised the trio.

"Uh, sorry. We assumed you were a ghost due to your face and your... ahem, blindness." Fiver apologized, embarrassed.

"I'm not blind. I just can't see." Dogwood replied, sitting on the stone step calmly. "My siblings are just as blind as I am, but our other senses function perfectly."

"Siblings? Are there more of you?"

"Just the four of us - we're all that's left of Milmown."

At the mention of that familiar name, Fiver's eyes grew widened. Finally, he'd get some answers about her. "Wait a second! Do you know Milmown?"

"Absolutely, she's my mother," Dogwood responded, rather sadly, "or I should say _late_ mother."

Fiver sighed in dismay. _So Milmown has stopped running, after all. _He thought, sadly. Pipkin and Lily exchanged baffled glances at Fiver, wondering how on earth does he know the name of Dogwood's mother. Even Juniper herself was at a loss of words.

"How is it that a complete stranger like you knows my mother?" Dogwood questioned, his milky eyes narrowing suspiciously at Fiver.

"He's a seer in our warren on Watership Down," Lily explained. "Fiver is born with the second sight - the ability to see the future. He also has superior knowledge of Thinial's history from a secret underground river of Efrafa."

Dogwood raised a skeptic eyebrow, unsure whether to believe her or not.

Fortunately, Juniper confirmed that word they spoke is sincere. "It's true, Fiver does see the future and he does know everything about Thinial through this secret river."

"Except he doesn't know _everything _about Thinial," Dogwood added, bitterly.

"What do you mean?" Pipkin inquired.

"How much do all of you know about Thinial?"

"Well..." Pipkin recalled with an incredible memory lapse, "Fiver told us about how Flyairth and her friends evacuated from their old warren in Cottington's Hill to escape a terrible sickness, they settled down in their new home in the Stone Orchards where they grow an inside garden of healthy flowers or herbs to prevent any disease. This is because Flyairth discovered a hlessi infected with the White Blindness almost came to their warren on his own accord, but the Owsla kicked him out to protect their warren."

"And that infected hlessi happens to my father!" Dogwood interrupted.

"YOUR FATHER?!" Fiver, Lily and Pipkin gasped in union.

"His name is Rhododendron," Dogwood continued, deciding to tell his parents' side of the story, "his old warren was Cottington's Hill where everyone died by the Blindness, but he still survived long enough to find Thinial and hoping he might make amends for not listening to Flyairth's warning of evacuation. Sadly, Flyairth didn't recognized him as a result of his sickened state and banished him."

"It's just like how Holly and his comrades found our warren after suffering so much in the Sandleford massacre," Lily whispered.

"Ever since the Blindness destroyed Cottington's Hill, my mother, Flyairth, feared the White Blindness so much, for if it got into her warren, it would destroy our friends and family," Juniper told on, "she meant to go to great lengths to keep the Blindness out of Thinial. Her greatest fear was that an infected rabbit might wander into the warren. All strangers were refused entry, whether or not they are ill. Guard duty at night proved difficult. A stranger could get in unseen, so the bucks agreed to take turns with the Owsla does to keep watch. But one strange thing about the Blindness is this; any infected rabbits are able to mate."

Fiver, Lily and Pipkin remained inaudible, listening intently to their story.

"My father, Rhododendron, had wandered into the Stone Orchards," said Dogwood. "He was chased out of Thinial by the bucks. On his way out, he met one of the warren's inhabitants, her name was Milmown, my mother. She pitied him and started searching for healing herbs in the hopes of curing him. They fell deeply in love and mated in secret. Sadly, Rhododendron's sickness grew worse. All might have been well had Milmown not developed the Blindness. He apologized for infecting her, but she never showed regret because she cared about him. Rhododendron succumbed to the Blindness and passed away. When it became apparent that Milmown had been having an affair with the infected buck and showing signs of the Blindness, Flyairth and Prake were furiously implacable. Though pitied by many, Milmown was exiled out of Thinial by the Owsla and never to return. But she didn't go away. She remained a short distance from the warren here in a lonely burrow she created and constantly pleaded to be allowed to return, and for some strange reason, the progress of the disease in her was delayed."

_"Milmown must be exiled!"_ the sharp voice of Flyairth rang in Fiver's ears as the memory of his vision crossed his mind.

"Milmown bore her litter there: Dogwood and his three brothers, Prunus, Fireweed and Rhubarb," Juniper continued, "however, all four of them born blind as a result of the Blindness, but none of them were seriously infected. As it turns out, Milmown had been well liked in the warren and had many good friends, including three in the Owsla. Sadly, these friends hadn't been able to do anything for her when she had been driven out, because Flyairth warned them she had the Blindness and she would die, not to mention punishment to any rabbit who dare disobey the Healing Matron of Thinial. When Dogwood and his brothers grew old enough to fend for themselves, the Blindness continued once more to run its course, and poor Milmown died. Her litter were living as best they could, not far from Thinial, Flyairth refused to give them help or shelter. Everyone expected them to fall victim to elil or humans, but they continued to survive. That's when I decided to step in."

"I assume the laurel and thyme leaves you carry are for Dogwood and his brothers?" Fiver guessed.

"Exactly! I heard about Milmown's fate when I was a kitten. Now that her four sons had never got the Blindness, some of Milmown's former friends had begun saying that Flyairth and Prake are going too far and that leaving Milmown's children to die outside the warren was going to unnecessary, cruel lengths. One of them tried to make Flyairth listen to reason, but she stubbornly refused to consider any change. I thought she'd have done better to let the matter drop. But she was so much obsessed by her fear of the Blindness that she couldn't weigh up its probability or improbability. For her, the safety and survival of Thinial were more important and justified any severity, so she forbade anyone mentioning Milmown's name or her children ever again, or there will be punishment to disobedient rabbits."

"What is the punishment?" Pipkin asked, nervously.

"Death by the Owsla - Prake is sort of experienced in this." Juniper sighed in silent disgust at those gruesome memories of Milmown's many friends murdered by the claws of Prake's Owsla. "I felt myself drifting farther away from my own mother. She was just brainwashing her own warren, and her own children, out of paranoia. I could see with my own eyes that Milmown's rabbits didn't have the epidemic of the White Blindness. I began going out to meet and talk to Milmown's sons out of secrecy, even bringing some of the herbs from the garden for them to eat. I hoped to cure their blind eyes myself, thinking if they are not blind anymore, then mother would grant them permission to live in Thinial. I was just a kitten back then, and I had no idea their blind sight was permanent. Nevertheless, I kept on visiting them and giving them herbs or plants to eat. When they couldn't fit into their old burrow anymore, I moved them to this crypt for safety and shelter, along with a secret knock that is known only to myself and to Dogwood's family."

"But that still doesn't explain why Thinial's occupants are treating Hannah and Pipkin terribly," Lily added. "Not to mention Prake's racism against hutch rabbits."

"I can answer that. Back in Cottington's Hill, I recall my mother telling me the humans were responsible for sending the White Blindness into their old warren, just because the rabbits were in their way of building some sort of warren for their own," Dogwood explained, correctly. "Flyairth believed that all humans bring the Blindness to rabbits to kill them. Especially animals who live amongst Man, even hutch rabbits, have the Blindness to infect the wild rabbits."

This made Lily very cross about Flyairth's misguided beliefs. "Not all humans infect rabbits with the Blindness! Look at me, I've lived amongst humans all my life and I never caught any sickness! Hannah, Clover, and the hutch rabbits have never caught a sickness when they lived at Nuthanger Farm. This is intolerable! You can't keep yourselves locked up inside a crypt forever. We must inform Hazel and the others about this!"

"Is this Hazel a friend of yours?" Dogwood gazed at them, uneasily.

"Yes, you can trust him," Lily assured him. "He's the Chief Rabbit of our warren, and I'm sure he can help you."

Somewhere nearby, several dark shadows emerged from the tall tussocks and tombstones. Lily's group tensed up on high alert. A ring of Thinial's Owsla had slowly formed around the isolated outsiders, cornering them at the door of the crypt. Angry deep growls erupted from Lily and Juniper's throats as they prepared to take their chance of a fight.

* * *

Whilst Lily and companions were following Juniper to her friends' secret hideout, Hazel and Bigwig were outside the warren silflaying, hoping to take their minds off the gory discovery of the dead human just beyond the Stone Orchards.

"You know, Hazel," said Bigwig, "we did tell Flyairth we wanted to stay for one night before going home. I've been away from my children long enough."

"So have I, and I miss Clover and my young children very much... you're right. We need to move on. With luck, we should be back to Watership Down before next Frith-down," Hazel agreed. "I'll go tell the others we need to leave at once."

They located the members of their group one by one after explaining their desire to go back to Watership Down, except Hawkbit, Dandelion and Bluebell refused to leave when they met a few pretty does and attempted to court them. Just before Bigwig threatened to scratch the next buck who disobeys him, Flyairth arrived to break it up, lightly scolding the two jokester bucks like a mother to her disobedient kits. "Forgive me for intruding upon you and your bucks, Captain Bigwig, but I wished to check on you all. See how you've all been faring in Thinial."

"Well, I must say you've all been hospitable, to say the least. But even rabbits must return to their own warren, and that time is now. Right, Hazel?"

"Oh yes. Again, we thank you for taking our band in during our long journey. We can never do enough to repay your kindness."

"Actually, perhaps you can. I only wish you to stay awhile to hear me out, Hazel-rah. I'd like to speak to you and your Owsla Captain," she offered.

Hazel agreed, although Bigwig relented with much reluctance. Standing underneath the great yew tree, the two bucks seated themselves in front of the Chief Rabbit to hear what she wanted to say to them.

"I understand you wish to return home, but I want you to hear out a proposition I have for you," Flyairth began. Curious, Hazel and Bigwig nodded to let her continue. "Hazel, you and your rabbits have certainly made a good impression on our warren, and everyone here is quite fond of you…especially me."

"Well…thank you, Flyairth. And may I say you and your warren have been most hospitable during our stay here. We could never repay your kindness in full."

"Yes, I figured as such, but perhaps you _can_…if you are willing to listen." Bigwig and Hazel nodded curiously before the Matron continued.

"My friends, we both have much in common: we were displaced by the works of Man, our homes destroyed by his machinations. And yet, we were survivors, having to endure many trials and tribulations to find a new home to settle down in. We both soon found our peace and sanctuary from all the evils of the worlds: your Watership Down and my Thinial. Not many rabbits can say they did the same thing after losing their home."

Hazel and Bigwig solemnly nodded.

"Yes…we all have," Hazel remarked, "but Frith has taught us all that good always comes from every evil. From the loss of our homes to find a new home, we were able to learn from the mistakes of our old warrens and apply them to how our new warrens would be run. Like how we chose to be open to new ideas, exploring new possibilities on how to run our warren, or like how you chose to invest your new warren into healing so that you can save more lives from disease rather than lose them."

Flyairth lightly chuckled to their remarks. "Thank you. But you know…since our tragedies, we have all risen to become prominent figures in our own warrens. You, Hazel-rah, have become a visionary of peace and cunning, and you, Bigwig, a honorable warrior and strategist. And then…there's me, the honorable Matron Healer of Thinial. It's such a stroke of fate that the three of us came together in these circumstances. Why…if we wanted, together we could do…_anything_…"

Hazel and Bigwig looked at each other with a slight concern as they notice a sense of zealousness from the aged doe.

"Yes…I suppose we could, if we had a mind to," Bigwig remarked.

"Both our warrens have seen more times of peace and safety than ever. Our subjects are happy and we are fortunate in so many ways."

"Where are you going with this, Flyairth?" Hazel inquired with a raised brow.

"I'm saying…we should share our prosperity and ideals with other rabbits outside of our warrens. Together, in our paws, we could forge and establish the largest network of warrens in the history of our kind. Could you imagine such a thing? A world of rabbits where they won't have to keep running from danger as our ancestors did. A world without fear of elil, death, war, sickness, and other tragedies."

This deeply intrigued Hazel and Bigwig at the very idea of living in a world without fear of such dangerous elil or sickness, although death, war, change, and loss is something very hard to avoid when they've experienced it all their lives. Upon their arrival in Watership Down, they made some changes to make their warren a better place. And yet…something about Flyairth's vision sounded almost like a certain enemy of theirs…but hopefully, they thought, she was not _that_ forceful.

"It _is_ quite an interesting offer, Flyairth, but in our warren, we don't want to impose our ideas onto other rabbits. We want to encourage all creatures to think for themselves. Make their own choices," Hazel explained reasonably. "While our warren is about change, it's also about choice. It's about encouraging in all kinds of ideas, that they are shared freely and not forcefully. The same goes for what El-ahrairah taught his people, and what he passed down to all of us."

However, Flyairth's friendly expression changed to aloof sternness. She wanted to turn the conversation to her own beliefs so these Watership rabbits can understand her views. "A funny thing you mentioned…_El-ahrairah_. As if to say that he was the greatest of our rabbit culture, particular in your freedom of choice."

"Well, of course he was, Flyairth," Bigwig pointed out. "He was a trickster. It's from him that we learned that we choose whether to run, to fight, or even to trick the elil."

"Even though it was _him_ who condemned all rabbitkind to endless persecution from all of nature? If you want to look for the greatest rabbit of our culture, look to the healer of the first warren, Aconitum. All of us aware of the El-ahrairah stories since youth, but nobody tells of the legendary healer who was the only rabbit to cure all ailments, including the greatest ailment inflicted by Frith: death. For a long time, I had wanted to live up to the legacy he set as a healer for all rabbitkind and that it has been my calling to undo not just sickness like the White Blindness, but all the miseries and sorrows that came about from El-ahrairah's arrogance and disregard for how his actions would affect his own people. After hearing your stories of escaping Sandleford and Cowslip's warren, and rescuing does from Nuthanger farm and Efrafa, I believe that just as I have inherited the skills of Aconitum as his reincarnation, you two have inherited the ancestral blood of the Prince of Rabbits and the First of Owsla Captains reincarnated within you - Hazel and Bigwig."

Hazel and Bigwig's eyes enlarged in bewilderment. Flyairth, believing herself a reincarnated rabbit of Aconitum who can cure any ailment in this world, including death. That would mean living a life of immortality without dying of old age. They have heard of Aconitum, a rabbit named after wolf's bane, back in Sandleford in their childhood, but every rabbit in the warren spoke of Aconitum as a deranged lunatic and sworn off from speaking of him again. Now that they think about it, Hazel and Bigwig wondered why was this legendary healer never mentioned in any El-ahrairah tales.

"I believe it has _always_ been our shared calling to save rabbitkind, starting with the cooperation of Thinial and Watership Down. Together, we can create a powerful force to bring all rabbits into a submission of peace, by the will of Frith, and to destroy all who oppose us - starting with Man, the worst animal that Frith spawned to destroy all that he touches."

As she spoke, Hazel and Bigwig start to notice Flyairth's behavior reminded them a little bit like the worst parts of Cowslip and Woundwort put together, but with an air of suspicious motherly patience that cannot entirely be trusted. Maybe there is a reason why throughout their lives their parents and elders forbid them to never speak of Aconitum ever. Thinial may be more dangerous than they had presumed. Hazel and Bigwig exchanged worrisome faces, pondering in silence over what to do.

* * *

Prake stood high on a tombstone, confronting the captured prisoners as her Owsla surrounded the helpless rabbits in a rather threatening manner. She turned to Juniper with a face of disappointment. "So, this is where you hide Milmown's offspring? I can't imagine what your mother will say when she hears what you have done."

Juniper glanced sharply at the Captain of Owsla when a scowl of hatred crossed her expression. "Do you think I'd care about what my mother thinks? What she has done to leave Milmown's sons out on their own to die without our help is unforgivable!"

"You know it is for the safety of Thinial!" Prake snarled back in retort. To her Owsla, she commanded, "Storm the crypt! Bring out the infected bucks!"

The all-female Owsla charged forward, trying to force their way past Lily, Pipkin, Fiver, Juniper and Dogwood. The four adult rabbits did their best to hold them off, while Pipkin tumbled backward and passed the door. This proved to be a mistake as the Owsla lunged over the blockage and entered the crypt. Dogwood and Juniper tried to stop them, but the green doe was yanked backwards and thrown to the ground, where Prake pinned her down. Dogwood was easily apprehended, so was Pipkin as an Owsla officer seized him.

Hearing her kit's cries, Lily attempted to tackle her son's captor when a larger Owsla doe pressed her weight over her smaller form to keep her down. Two other officers caught hold of Fiver by his arms, restraining him as he struggled against his abductors. Numerous growls and grunts erupted from within the crypt. It didn't take long for the Owsla to return, forcibly escorting three buck rabbits outside. All three of them blind and terrorized.

Searching for a way to destroy her enemies, Prake discovered an abandoned open grave close by and a morbid idea came to her. "Throw the infected bucks into the pit, along with these snooping outsiders!" she ordered, pointing to the grave.

Enraged, Juniper reached over and bit Prake's front paw, making her withdrew in pain. It gave Juniper a chance to kick her in the face and dashed back to the warren like a mad hare. She had to get help from Hazel's band to rescue their comrades as well as her own. One of the officers pursued her, but she never cared one bit.

Despite their vicious struggles, Lily's group fell into the grave's dark abyss. Dogwood and his brothers came tumbling after, landing in a pile on top of one another. Then a shower of dirt rained down upon the imprisoned rabbits. Looking up, they saw the Owsla began hurriedly shoving huge piles of dirt (which they found by coincidence) down the open grave.

"What are they doing?" Pipkin wondered, clutching his mother's waist.

And then, Fiver saw it all. His vision of last night. The unfortunate rabbits incarcerated deep in the gaping hole of Man's grave as the Owsla of Thinial cruelly engulfed the victims with piles of earth - it was his group and Milmown's children he had seen in his dreams. "Oh no! We're being buried alive!"

"OH, FRITH AND INLÉ!" Lily shrieked, then she desperately screamed at the top of her lungs. "**SOMEBODY, HELP US!**"

Time is running out, the ground seemed to be raising toward their hindquarters. The rabbits scrambled against the wall in desperate attempt to get out. Clomps of earth splattered on their faces, as Prunus and Rhubarb sputtered or tried to rub the dirt off their eyes. Fireweed climbed up on Dogwood's back, allowing Fiver to crawl on their backs to the top of his head. Fiver came close to reaching the ledge, only for Prake to push his paws off, sending the bucks tumbling downward.

On motherly instinct, Lily hoisted Pipkin on her back and leaned toward the wall, standing tall on her hind legs to reach the ledge. "Just in case I don't make it and your father doesn't come, I want you to get out of here as soon as possible."

Shocked by his mother's effort to sacrifice herself, Pipkin scrambled off her back. "No, I won't leave you!" he wailed. "I already lost my family to a weasel! I don't want to lose another one!" Though try as he might, Pipkin couldn't reach the high ledge. He still refused to abandon his mother and friends to their doom, resigned to accept his fate.

* * *

"So…what do you two say? Shall we save this world for rabbitkind, starting now?" Flyairth asked the two with an eagerness that could be perceived as almost obsessive, yet with that same ominous motherly presence. Before they could even give an answer, Hazel and Bigwig's ears shot up in alarm when they heard and saw the panicked Juniper rushing toward them.

"Hazel-rah! HAZEL-RAH!" Juniper bellowed, her furry face pale with terror. "Your brother and his friends are in trouble! We need help, come quick!"

The Watership rabbits gasped in alarm and concern at their friends' situation.

"Fiver, in trouble?" Hazel gasped, terrified for his little brother.

"Yes! As well as Lily and Pipkin! Prake and her Owsla are burying them all alive!"

"Oh no!" Bigwig grew stunned with shock and horror for his mate and son's safety. "Show us where they are!"

Before Hazel's group can race to the rescue, a flash of green fur flew in front of their faces. Flyairth had blocked their path on purpose, joined by some of the most tough-looking does that could prove formidable in the Owsla. Her face indignant and irrationally anxious. "You will not intervene! The hutch rabbit cannot be saved! Lily was raised by Man and she might carry a sickness with her, perhaps even worse than the Blindness! And all who come from Man must be killed for the good of all rabbits!"

"**KILLED?!** You want to kill my mate... HOW DARE YOU!" Bigwig growled, first in disbelief at the Chief Rabbit's refusal to assist, then furiously vexed that such a rabbit would rather leave his mate to die just because she used to live in a hutch.

"You sent Prake and your Owsla to deal with Lily, didn't you? You _wanted_ her killed but couldn't do it yourself!" Hazel lashed out. "Is that your idea of bringing peace?"

"Lily is a danger to us all, whether sick or not. Her softness towards Man counts as treason to all rabbits! And all traitors _must_ be destroyed!" Flyairth argued back in defiant arrogance. "As for Prake, I sent her to follow my own daughter and report to me of her odd doings," she added on as her own daughter looked on. "When I learned that Milmown's infected spawn had survived, I saw my chance to further secure the same of my warren! As for Fiver and Pipkin, it seems they have learned too much on our doings. An unfortunate sacrifice, but a necessary one for the greater good." There was a look of slight regret on her face, but Flyairth had to do what she believed is right. "Milmown's sons must be destroyed to protect Thinial. And I cannot let you leave, because you will get the White Blindness!" The Chief Rabbit's expression scrunched to a violent grimace as she faced her own daughter with disgust. "As for you…I can't believe you would betray your warren by caring for Milmown's sons! After all I have taught you, you ungrateful _hufsa_!"

The entire Watership gang grew shocked and outraged at Flyairth's treatment to their distressed friends and stared at Juniper, who fixed a bitter frown of defiance at her mother. The warren's occupants gradually surrounded Hazel and friends, encircling them and preventing them from trying to escape. Kehaar was just about to fly up and swoop down to attack them, his wings got caught by Azalea and Orchid as the does pinned him down. Hannah concealed herself behind Blackberry, terrified by the residents' violent tendencies and aware she'd never stand a chance against them.

"**ENOUGH!**" demanded a harsh female voice as a small bunch of five does stepped forward bravely, taking their place beside Juniper and the Watership rabbits, growling warningly at the other warren's residents to back off or shoving them aside abruptly. The female rabbit who had snarled was a middle-aged pink and white cream-colored doe who gave Flyairth the most deadly scowl nobody had ever seen. "Let them go! Let them save their friends, you filthy worm!"

"Magnolia!" Flyairth growled, the hair rising up on the back of her neck at the doe's defiance. "You dare disobey me? What kind of a rabbit are you?"

"A friend of poor Milmown, whom I should have helped keep alive long ago!" Magnolia retorted, with an air of backbone. "We could have prevented the poor buck she helped from dying, and we could have saved Milmown's life, if it wasn't for your tyranny against all strange rabbits! Everybody liked Milmown, and we tried to help you see that she needed it, but rather than decide to help her...you expelled her from the warren because of her illness! When she died, you left her kittens out on their own instead of offering them shelter and treatment. Even though they were blind, they weren't seriously infected!"

"I've heard enough nonsense from you, traitor!"

"No, _you_ are the traitor, Flyairth! You abandoned a friend when she needed our help! You delude yourself as Aconitum's heir, a healer who secretly practiced black magic in order to keep the warren safe from ailments, which led to his expulsion by El-ahrairah because he knew what that fool had become!"

Juniper decided to cut in, telling her mother at long last what she always thought of her. "You love your stupid garden more than your family! You never cared about any of us or any real sick rabbit because you're too afraid to catch the Blindness! Now get out of our way!"

With the aid of Magnolia's group, Hazel and friends forcibly pushed the traitorous doe and her army of misguided rabbits aside. Juniper took the lead, guiding everyone to the isolated crypt, praying they were in time to reach her boyfriend and her comrades from their grim fates.

"**DAMN YOU, MISERABLE LITTLE **_**HUFSA**_**!**" Flyairth screamed as her daughter disappeared beyond the cemetery, disowning Juniper for her treason. "If you become Blinded, you will no longer be welcome here! You are no longer my daughter!" To Hazel, she cursed her threat further on, "As for you, Hazel-rah, I promise you this - I will smite every last one of you for the betrayal of my own daughter! You're a _disease_ that must be cleansed from Frith's world!"

* * *

Being does, the Owsla turned out to be the fastest digging crew nobody had ever seen. Falling earth clambered down all around the helpless rabbits in the grave, by now it was reaching up to their necks. It was growing difficult by the second to move as layers of earth gradually concealed them. They were powerless to fight back as Prake gleefully watched from above.

"_**RAAAAAAWRRR!**_"

There came that famous battle cry, forcing the Thinial Owsla to cease their murderous deed and look up tensely. Just then, Hazel and Bigwig and their cavalry came charging towards them, each Watership member and Magnolia's group violently tackled a Thinial officer. Though these does were bigger than them, it is often said the male is more aggressive than the female as the bucks clawed or chomped these despicable does by the ears or fur, leaving red marks for their enemies to remember them by. Kehaar swooped down out of nowhere and struck two or four members of the Owsla, sending them flying.

"Get them out of there!" Hazel commanded, as Blackberry and Silver used a portion of dirt to create a pile against the grave's wall so it will be easier to climb in and dig out their friends.

Sensing her Owsla losing a battle, Prake ordered a hasty retreat towards the warren, when suddenly a very angry and protective Bigwig blocked her path. There was murder in his own eyes as he desired to taste her blood should he rip her to pieces, the lion buck refused to let her escape unpunished for her sin.

"You're not going anywhere until I kill you!" he growled furiously through his teeth.

Cursing under breath, Prake prepared for a combat. "_HRAKA_! You're no better than those sick creatures!"

Then, she attacked as she swung her claws at him. Bigwig dodged them just in time. She swung at him for a second time, and the lion buck slashed at her stomach. It didn't do enough to hold her back. Bigwig had to dodge another swing from those razor-sharp claws, however, Prake's claws caught at his fur mane on his chest as she zealously cleaved a chunk from it. A cry of anguish escaped from Bigwig's mouth. Aware her opponent was in slight pain, Prake kicked him against a tombstone.

Feeling the cold stone on his back, Bigwig's bleeding chest and shoulders heaved as he panted. He had to fight his way out of this, or could he think his way out of it. Prake believed she had gained the upper paw, as she reared back and raised her paw in the air. Bigwig expected her to deliver the blow, and when she did so, he leapt out of the way. The impact of the blow hit the tombstone behind him, sending fragments of stone flying. Stunned, Bigwig had not expected Prake to be so strong. He delivered his own blow by shoving his legs at his opponent's waste. This impact sent her bouncing across the ground until she tumbled to a halt.

"Go now, Captain Prake, or we'll kill the lot of you!" Bigwig threatened her, his voice as dark and cold as the cemetery around him.

Prake had no choice. She had been beaten by a rival. And a _male_ rival, no less. The Captain was forced to retreat or she would receive a bloody thrashing from not just Bigwig, but from the rest of his comrades as well.

No sooner had the Owsla gone, Bigwig growled softly as he felt relief swept over him. He turned to come face-to-face with his beloved doe and their precious son, having been rescued out of their grave during the fight. The lion buck threw his arms around them both, while Lily cried softly in his shoulder and Pipkin buried his face in his chest.

"Are you two alright?" Bigwig asked, his voice filled with genuine concern.

"Yes! Oh, Bigwig. I was so scared." Lily wailed, muffled with her face in his mane.

"I thought you'd never come." Pipkin's eyes streamed with tears.

As the last of Milmown's offspring were pulled out from the pit, Juniper threw herself against Dogwood in a warm embrace. He nuzzled her forehead with equal affection. She tenderly licked him back on the cheek. Prunus, Rhubarb and Fireweed stared at their rescuers with curiosity mixed with admiration. Their cloudy pale eyes made the Watership rabbits a bit petrified. Magnolia studied their faces, a bit wary but relieved that everyone was safe.

"It's okay. They're blind but healthy." Fiver assured them, as he felt his elder brother's loving embrace over his small form. He welcomed it with great endearment.

"I'm so glad you're safe, little brother," Hazel told him, but then his sentiment changed to vexation. "We should leave this place quickly. The Owsla might come back with reinforcements."

"I say we go back and kill Flyairth!" Bigwig declared in raw fury. "We should kill the lot of them for what they've done!"

"No, Bigwig! We can't afford more bloodshed." Blackberry refused to let him continue with his brief plot for revenge. "Everyone's suffered enough as it is. We're going back to Watership Down."

Hearing of the group's plan to disembark, Juniper looked at them thoughtfully and spoke, "Hazel? Are you going away?"

"Yes, why?" Hazel stared at her, wondering what she wanted.

Juniper put her paws together, as a human does in prayer, and pleaded desperately, "Take us with you. Please, take us with you."

Hazel grew puzzled, and then he noticed Dogwood and his brothers gazing at him, hoping the Chief Rabbit take pity on them. Especially at Magnolia and her four companions. Two of the ashamed does were female Owsla officers who aided them in battle, called Harebell and Tulip, and the other remorseful does who gave him pleading faces of desperation to join him were called Iris and Olive. All five of them were former friends of the late Milmown, each one displayed a look of regret and shame.

"We don't care for creatures who deceive us!" Silver answered, sharply. "Better go back to your mother."

Fiver stole a hard glare at Silver, for he felt tremendous sympathy toward Juniper and her friends. He knew what the doe had gone through all her life, living with that monster who claims she's a healing matron. Dogwood's family doesn't belong in a lonely dark crypt where they remain isolated and shunned by a paranoid society. They belong in a warren surrounded by friends who will welcome and accept them. That's the life they deserve. As for Magnolia and the rest of the does, he could see in their eyes how guilty they felt for not preventing Milmown's death nor standing up to Flyairth's tyranny sooner.

After thinking it over, Fiver whispered in his brother's ear to share his thoughts with him, and Hazel's eyes widen when he understood. Hazel glanced at his friends to decide on whether to grant permission for Juniper's group to accompany them home. After thinking it over for a second, they nodded their heads approvingly.

"You can come with us, Juniper…and so will everyone else." Hazel made his decision. "However, there might not be enough room in our warren. I think you should live at Redstone warren with Hickory and Marigold. I'm sure with your knowledge of herbs and healing, they'd be happy to welcome you and yours."

Excited and relieved to be accepted, Juniper and Dogwood exchanged hugs, and the rest of the does and bucks smiled at them with gratitude.

With this decision made, everyone left the Stone Orchards to continue their journey homeward. Although it was a very long and tiresome journey throughout the countryside, the rabbits had finally reached their destination at the high hills of Watership Down at nighttime, where a warm welcoming committee greeted them upon arrival. Clover and the kits smothered Hazel with nuzzles and hugs, Bigwig and Lily's children hugged their parents ecstatically, and Holly reported how everything ran smoothly on the down where no problems happened. Everyone gave Juniper's rabbits a pleasant reception when their sad stories were told, allowing them to sleep in burrows with some of the does as roommates until their moving to Redstone tomorrow. Kehaar settled himself in his nest comfortably and Hannah curled herself up on his feathery back. As everyone returned to their burrows with their friends and families, they had never felt so good to be back home again.


End file.
